The Legend of Zelda: The Call of War
by Meteo63
Summary: When a new king rises to the throne of Hyrule, he suddenly declares war on the other races for reasons unknown. Resistance develops and heroes rise as the call of war echoes throughout the land. Rated T for intense violence, just in case. Review please!
1. Chapter 1 The Gift of Din

**_Chapter 1_**  
**_The Gift of Din_**

_"From this day forward," bellowed the soldier, "all lands currently in jurisdiction of the Zora King Ralis will be held in control of King Daar, King of Hyrule! If you do not automatically submit to the King's will, it will be known that the Nation of Zora has declared war against the might of Hyrule!" Finishing his dreadful statement, the Hylian rolled up the scroll in conclusion of the news and glanced with anxious eyes—hidden beneath his plated steel helmet—out to the crowd of Zora. The soldier nervously noted that humanoid fish-creatures all wore no clothes and also that there was a boiling anger of resistance bubbling up in the crowd._

"That's preposterous!" countered King Ralis, his slender and youthful frame leaning forward in anger, as his normally gentle eyes glared up at the soldier's makeshift stone podium from the water. "Zora's Domain has been the homeland of our ancestors for millennia! What does King Daar think he's doing?!" The Zora King's outburst was supported by a loud cheer of agreement from the other Zora.

Uneasy sweat—or was it the mist from the massive waterfall behind him?—dribbled down the soldier's neck as he tried to reply, "As I've said, he's placing this territory under his… ahem, jurisdiction!" He shifted uncomfortably in his clanking metal armor. "If you do not automatically submit to the King's will, it will be known that the Nation of Zora has declared war against the might of Hyrule!" he repeated from his speech.

Cries of discontent roared from the crowd as several Zora surged forward to attack the soldiers. Others stayed back and cheered on the swift Zoran warriors who flew onto the rocky shore, drew dual swords, and advanced upon the Hylian soldiers' position. Stunned by the speed and strength of their foes' sudden strike, the Hylians were forced to defend as blue blurs slashed and kicked their way forward.

"Good luck Dad!" cheered a young Zora in the mob, his feet kicking rapidly to keep him on the surface of the waterfall basin. He pointed proudly to the tallest Zoran warrior who fought in the battle and announced to a nearby Zora in the crowd, "That's my dad!"

A Hylian soldier swung his sword forward, as the child's father darted at him with his two swords in the attack position. The guard's sword blocked one sword, but the other dodged his ready shield and slashed him in the chest. He fell quickly and as he did so, a desperate move was made: he swung his sword around wildly, catching the Zoran warrior on one of his swift blue legs. A red cut appeared, but the warrior continued to battle, as did the others.

"ENOUGH!" shouted the leader of the Hylian squad. "This little rebellion must be crushed before it grows out of control!" The captain quickly opened a thick leather bag crafted from a Dodongo's hide and hefted two enormous bombs. "Let it be known that this was the day Hyrule crushed the Zora!" he announced, tossing the lit bombs directly at the continuing battle between Hylian and Zora, with disregard to his own troops.

The following blasts annihilated both sides of the conflict, Hylian and Zora. A collective gasp filled Zora's Domain as the Zora realized that their most powerful warriors had fallen to a bomb blast. The Hylian soldiers remaining rushed in around the Zora to contain them, but the Zora child didn't notice. He simply stared in shock at the dead body of his father.  


Temero watched absently at the rushing flow of the stream as he contemplated his thoughts and memories. He half wished that his memory could be like a stream; flowing away to the ocean, never to be seen again, but it could not be so: the memory of his father's death was far too great. He glanced briefly down to the bottom of the waterfall and the massive pool that it flowed into, his thin eyes narrowing in anger as he spotted the sight of his father's demise.

What was up with those Hylians and their king? For the last year, they had terrorized Zora's Domain, demanding payment and taxes and all sorts of crazy things. Everyday, he heard another story: an old Zora being imprisoned for not paying his taxes; another Zora crying over the loss of her beloved child; and several people being killed in the search for the kidnapped King Ralis. What had changed? Temero could still recall the times when Hylians and Zora had a cleaner relationship of diplomacy, which had all but died in the last year of tyrannical rule.

"Hey, you!" said a gruff Hylian voice from behind Temero. "Get outta here you Zora scum!" ordered the hefty soldier. "This ain't your place! The top level is the Hylians'!"

The slim Temero glanced backwards at the guard. "Really? This is where I grew up; I have every right to be here!" he replied in defiance.

"Everyday, the same story! I let you off too quick last time, you see?" grinned the soldier. "But this is your last warning, you scalawag! Take… THAT!" The enormous Hylian brought a foot backward and then swiftly forward, attempting to kick the disobedient Zora off the cliff.

For a split second, Temero grew angry; everyday, these acts were tolerated, by Zora, by Hylian, everyone. When would this tyranny be removed? Then, the young Zora reacted with speed; leaping over the guard's helm, Temero gave the man a quick kick on the back and a blow to the leg with a concealed fin boomerang, which was a popular weapon among Zora in this age. With a surprised scream, the soldier tumbled off the rocky waterfall cliff. Temero tensed, waiting as the man plunged toward the water; a great grin spread across Temero's adolescent face when the noise of the satisfactory splash reached his ears.

Then, Temero realized what he just did. Assaulting a Hylian guard was a serious offense and would be punishable by imprisonment or oftentimes death. Again, his spontaneous and rash actions would cost him a great deal. Instantly, his actions were noticed by the squad of soldiers that constantly patrolled the upper level of Zora's Domain.

"Well, well, well… If it isn't little Temero!" sneered a heavily mustached man. His sneering face was all but obscured by his enormous bush of facial hair, but Temero could slightly make out his glaring eyes beneath his helmet. "This is such a surprise; I knew you were trouble, but now murder?" He raised his eyebrows in mocking shock. He clicked his tongue in a parental scolding manner and motioned to his guards, who moved forward to grab Temero.

To Temero, time appeared to freeze again as he recalled the memory of his father's death at the hand of the evil Hylians. He could just imagine his father gently reminding him, "Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in!" That memory was enough for Temero to jump swiftly into action mode. Two fin boomerangs—essentially two Zoran knives attached to his arms—flew from his wrists and smacked the two guards behind Mr. Mustache directly in their faces. Stunned, they fell to the ground, while the mustached one gaped in bewilderment at Temero's speed.

Temero leaped at the remaining guard, who quickly recovered from his shock and prepared his spear. Temero slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground. The man tried to reposition his spear for a strike, but his arms were grabbed by the skilled Zora. The guard roared and smacked his head into Temero, loosening his grip. Mr. Mustache quickly rolled over onto Temero and raised his spear for a deathblow! Temero stopped struggling and grinned.

"Oh, you happy to die?" the mustached man snarled.

Temero only smiled and whispered, "Look behind you!"

"I ain't fallin' for that!" the soldier replied. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed into his lower back and he groaned. The man fell forward, unconscious.

"You guys always forget about the boomerangs, don't you?" laughed Temero, roughly pushing the guard's body aside and leaping to his feet. There, impaled into the guard's back, lay two sharp blades, which Temero quickly withdrew and attached to his arms again. The soldier had been slain by his two boomerangs, magically created to return to its user—unless something was in the way.

At last, he had time to think about his actions. Temero was still tense, feeling surprisingly angry. Where did that anger come from? The memory of his father dying was still strong in his mind, but did it really control him that much to react with such speed? Ah, the speed; that was surprising too. Temero wasn't a weakling, but he had never known himself to tackle three guards and remain alive. Temero shook these thoughts away and turned to more important matters.

What would he do now? That was a problem, he realized. Four guards assaulted, perhaps one dead. Certainly he would be a fugitive after his actions today, but what did it really matter? The guards were ruthless, the king merciless. It didn't even matter what side of the "law" he was on, especially if that law was unjust. Temero had to think quickly; more guards had probably heard the commotion. He scanned the area, searching for an escape route. There, that tunnel—that one leading to the mountain range of Snowpeak. With no thought to the dangers ahead, Temero sprinted straight into the cold gray tunnel.

"There he is! Seize him, the scoundrel!" roared a guard. "Hurry!" The squad rushed to into the area, their spears twirling around as they tried to pinpoint their quarry. Then, one guard spied a motion in the Snowpeak tunnel and stopped dead in his tracks. Shouting to his teammates, they began to discuss their next actions.

The leader commanded, "After him, you fools!" Not a single movement. "You idiots; you'd disobey a direct order!?" His face contorted in rage.

"Sir, have you not heard the stories? About Snowpeak?" The shorter guard glanced at the tunnel in fear.

"Why? What's so bad about it that no one wants to go in there?!" demanded the captain. "Well? Anyone?" He looked angrily at his underlings expectantly.

"S-Sir? There's this dreadful beast that lives up in the mountains! It feeds on human flesh and-and it crushes your bones with horrid weapons of torture! Then, it sucks your blood dry!" The guard waggled his fingers ominously, only to be smacked in the face by his superior officer.

The leader interrupted, "Does anyone have a more… plausible idea?" He turned to another soldier. "How 'bout you?"

"Sir, as you may know, the Snowpeak region is still controlled by the Zora Resistance. I believe it would be folly to dash right into their land without proper back up."

"Hmph. You are the most pathetic soldiers I have ever seen… I once fought off an entire squad of Goron elites! And you? You are frightened of a little cold and couple fishes. Very well; if you can't handle that, I'll have to call in some reinforcements after all…"

"No need for that, captain," interrupted a smooth and cool voice. "I'm here. You won't need reinforcements, but I brought some anyway." A gloved hand motioned behind the man's lanky body. The group of one hundred soldier behind him cheered loudly and raised enthusiastic hands.

"My lord!" The captain bowed down low to the ground, placing his head at the newcomer's booted feet. "I am honored by your presence!"

""I do not need your empty compliments, captain. Come, we must capture the Zora fugitive." The man strode casually toward the icy tunnel, glancing back at his troops. "Let's go! That's a direct order!" he shouted.

Temero was lost; badly. The white and jagged peaks of Snowpeak loomed all around him. Mazes of gray rock formations created a labyrinth that was near impossible to navigate. Temero scrutinized a nearby doleful boulder. Was this a place he had already passed? Then, he spied a dark scratch across smooth surface of a rock. He sighed; that was the same mark he had placed earlier to track his progress. Not much progress had been made, as far as he could tell.

Storm clouds began to build up overhead, their drab tufts gathering into a black, murky mass. Temero's feet were getting drained of his typical full stores of energy, as he continued to tread upon the icy cold ground. The Zora felt the cold sink deep into his smooth Zora skin, as the freezing winds buffeted his body. His distant memory of the fiery hot anger was feeble compared to the might of Snowpeak's horrid frigidity.

He tried to convince himself that this was the right way to go, how could he know? Temero vaguely remembering discovering information about a certain Zora Resistance who made their homes high up in these mountains, but how did they manage to endure such extreme freezing temperatures? Temero had no proposal for such a thing, so he was forced to hope that they would find him.

There! What was that? A bright blue flag—its surface adorned with an ornate symbol—hung from a high cliff, waving rapidly in the thick mountain wind. Temero watched it for a moment, realizing that its symbol was the crest of the Zora. Encouraged by this sign, the adolescent Zora picked up his pace, searching for another clue. For a time, he was disappointed, for no blue flag could be seen. Lowering his head, he nearly allowed despair to fall upon him, but then—at that very moment—an identical blue flag appeared, draped upon a massive pine tree.

"Who is guiding me?" he asked aloud, not expecting any sort of answer, not even from Nayru, the guardian of the Zora. The snow continued to fall lightly upon the ground of the mountain pass as Temero continued his journey.

Through the bitter night, he walked. Over the rocky ground of Snowpeak. Across the vast snow-blasted plateaus. On and on, Temero walked, the series of blue flags his only guide to the paths of Snowpeak. Around him, the sky constantly changed. Lightning repeatedly traced serrated routes across the sky, illuminated the crooked mountaintops around him. Clouds cleared and the moon rose and fell. Stars twinkled into existence and blinked away as the light of day returned. Still, Temero walked constantly, fatigue threatening to overcome his strength.

It was during this time—while Temero seemed to be in a walking-dreaming state—that he became conscious of something strange that occasionally took place. Whispers twisted lightly about him and distant voices called out inaudible phrases to Temero's muddled consciousness. The voices grew closer and farther, acting as a phantom that constantly pursued Temero.

At this point, the mountains suddenly began to drop, their altitude closing in on that of sea level. The peaks encircling on the sides of him seemed as high as ever, but ahead, there lay a breach leading out of the treacherous mountain pass. Never before had he heard of anything on the other side of the Snowpeak range, but his curiosity and adventurous courage took hold and spurred him on. Temero began to sprint with the last reserves of his energy. His cold Zora feet left imprints on the snow as he ran, on and on.

Before he knew it, the snow had vanished. The peaks were left behind; a distant memory now. Swaying grass appeared beneath his bare feet and a warm tropical breeze lazed slowly through the air. Temero's weary eyes abruptly spied a deadly obstacle in his running path: directly ahead was an almost sheer cliff—and Temero did not know what was over it. Temero's eyes snapped wide open and he pulled himself back just in time, so he would not plunge to his death—or whatever was beneath the cliff. With anxious curiosity, Temero peered over the edge and was stunned—flabbergasted, in fact.

There, spread out before him, was a vast ocean—its blue and crystal clear hue a piece of amazing beauty. Light from the brilliant sun, refracted by the leisurely rolling waves, created a shimmering haze off the shore of the beach. Green islands of the tropical variety tantalized him the horizon, while a long and sandy stretch of beach—littered with sparkling stones and dazzling shells—ran parallel with the sea and with the cliffs. Temero—mouth agape—had never seen anything so amazing in his entire life. After the cold of Snowpeak, such a drastic change was unimaginable to his mind.

"So, you like it?" asked a kindly voice from behind. The newcomer's voice would lead one to believe that Temero was barely older than him. It was very true, which Temero realized once he whirled around to greet the other Zora, who was considerably shorter than Temero, his elegant head barely reaching the bottom of Temero's protruding chin.

"Um, can I help you?" Temero asked, bewildered at the other Zora's arrival.

"No. I can help myself perfectly." The Zora kid placed his hands casually on the back of his head, his eyes glittering with exuberance. His eyes shined almost as much as the beautiful silver crown that was imbued with the symbol of Zora's Sapphire that he wore upon his head—hold on, a crown?

"King Ralis?" Temero squinted at the other in confusion and tried to recognize the other face. "It is you! The people are wondering where you have been!"

"Ah, I thought you'd never notice!" The youthful king raised his head and laughed—a clear and truly happy laugh of the kind before the arrival of the Hylians.

"What are you doing here?! The people need you! The Hylians are—"

"Don't worry, I figured that all out. Over there, on that island," Ralis pointed to an island off the coast, "is the academy where the Zora Resistance meets. We just need to gather our strength and attack the Hylians at that time," he explained with a bright grin. Temero was still stunned by the enthusiasm in Ralis's smile and he smiled slightly too.

"Come," ordered Ralis, "let me show you the academy." He leapt gracefully off the cliff, followed by the more nervous Temero. Both landed on the soft white sand below and ran to the sea. Ralis laughed with joy at the freedom that he could have in a place that the Hylians could not control. Temero laughed too and sprinted faster to beat the king to the edge of the water.

The bobbing water swallowed them both and the two Zora zoomed off to the island. Soon after, they reached the massive island on which the academy was located. The island was shaped like a great circle, for a channel across the island linked a vast lake to the even vaster ocean beyond. Cliffs rose and fell along the island's shores, while groves of tall palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. In the distance—across the lake—an enormous glittering blue structure loomed: the academy itself; the center of the Zora rebellion. The academy had a thin tower shooting from the center of a rectangular building with two triangular structures adjacent to the needle in the middle.

"Here, look," Ralis said, motioning to the channel linking the two bodies of water. "Down there is a volcano, but it's not active anymore. See?" Temero obeyed and observed the magnificent cone that had formed deep underwater.

"Wow," he muttered. "Was this whole island made from that volcano?" He turned to Ralis.

"Yes… Temero, do you know how I discovered this paradise?" Ralis asked.

"How?" Temero wondered.

"The Hylians had just instigated their invasion of Zora's Domain and only a few Zoran warriors remained to protect me. I had to escape somewhere, correct? To put it simple, we just climbed straight up the mountain of Snowpeak. What else could we do? We followed the Zora's River source, higher and higher… Well, we certainly found it; the source. But, there was another river it fed. We named it Snowpeak River and it lead straight down to this very ocean!"

"Fascinating," interrupted a bored voice. "You are all under arrest!" shouted the captain's voice. He motioned, and a dozen guards surrounded Temero and Ralis, spears shaking nervously to strike at any sudden movement.

Temero's eyes widened when he realized what had happened. "The guards followed me," he murmured slowly.

"That's right, sonny. And we're taking you in on these charges: murder, assault, and active rebellion against King Daar and the Hyrulian crown."

Temero turned to Ralis in rising panic. "What do we do now!?" Suddenly, Temero stared in shock at Ralis's solemn and serious face, a drastic change from his previous carefree nature.

The Zora King then spoke, "Where is the leader of this group? I wish to speak with him."

Instantly, a young man stepped forward, his pointy green hat flopping behind him in the wind. In one hand, a great Hylian Shield he clutched. A Triforce rested alone in the middle of the metal barrier and beneath a giant red bird—a phoenix—blazed across the metal barrier. In his left hand, he held a magnificent and deadly blade—the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. A hilt of deep indigo inlaid with a golden jewel was where it was held. Temero looked at the Master Sword with an emotion made up of a combination of fear and fascination.

"Well, if it isn't King Ralis himself," stated Link, his Master Sword resting upon the ground casually.

"The Hero of the Twilight himself," said Ralis. Temero was stunned; this man was Link, the great hero?! "I never imagined you would get caught up in this!" continued Ralis. "You are a hero, defender of the innocent, and here you are, working for the tyrant Daar himself," spat Ralis with such venom the Temero shuddered.

"And you!" countered Link. "You are a traitor, defying the King of Hyrule. As the general of Hyrule, I have no choice but to obey his orders, Ralis."

"Is that so? You do have a choice. Everyone does. And I chose to stand up for what I believe in!" Ralis asserted. Temero's eyes widened, for the words spoken struck a deep chord in his soul. Those were the same words that his father had spoken…

"Very well. You don't wish to surrender, do you? And imagine… I helped save your life all those years ago and now I must be the one to execute you in the name of Hyrule. Irony… isn't it strange?" Link chuckled briefly.

"It is," agreed Ralis. "It is very strange how one such as you—a person who was once the symbol of all that is good in the world—has committed such crimes. I'm surprised that sword has even allowed you to wield it any longer."

"You fool! This sword is the one that will punish you!" roared the hero. He lunged forward with a horizontal slash with the azure blade that refracted such great radiance from the sun. The sword seemed to move in slow motion to decapitate the Zora King, yet Ralis stood there confidently.

Temero looked away in fear, covering his eyes in aversion. He shouted out, "NO! Link, stop!"

The sword closed the distance between the blade and the blue neck that was ready to be sliced. The blade touched his smooth skin and… passed straight through, like a phantasm. Soldiers gasped, the hero sighed in half-defeat, and Ralis told them all, "Do you see that? Do you see how the Blade of Evil's Bane refused to destroy my life? I am acting in good, and so that sword cannot kill me."

Link replied, "I see that. But there is more to this world than the black and white of evil and good. There is the gray in between the two extremes of morality. I must be forced to do this, for reasons beyond good and evil. Kill them both," he ordered.

"How can you say that?!" screamed Temero in rage, remembering his father's death, suddenly. The hero… was he really doing this? How could there be such people in the world?

Ralis looked sadly at Link and cried out to the heavens, "If Link is to ever die, goddesses, do not punish him for whatever crimes he has committed!" Then, the soldiers charged straight forward to the two Zora standing on the edge of the cliff.

Temero, anger overflowing now, dove directly into the crowd of soldiers, his fists pummeling stunned guards and his boomerangs slicing through the air. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and suddenly many things happened simultaneously that would change things forever. A guard swung a sword down quickly in an attempt to behead Temero, only for the attack to be dodged. The soldier was then struck from behind by a boomerang and fell to the ground. Temero saw with his peripheral vision a squad of Zora from the academy ready to fight.

Temero turned to fight another guard, but instead, it was Link, his steely blue eyes burrowing holes into Temero. With a grunt, the Hero of the Twilight kicked Temero hard in the stomach with a heavy boot and Temero flew off the cliff in a single motion. Ralis cried out in horror and tried to grab the other Zora, but things happened much too quick. Temero plunged down into the water and began to swim, but the pain in his now bleeding stomach was extremely excruciating and he doubled over in pain as his body sank to the ocean floor.

Above, the water-distorted rallying cry of King Ralis could be heard as he too joined the fray. Temero watched in horror as red liquid billowed from his stomach out into the cool and relaxing water. He felt the calmness and quiet around him grow larger and larger. It… was comfortable. Temero smiled, feeling the tranquility overtake his body and he nearly gave up to the call of death.

But then, he remembered what had happened in his life as it flashed by. His father's death. The invasion of the Hylians. The betrayal of Link, the Hero of the Twilight. Temero's anger surged violently and radiated tempestuously through the water. The wave of emotion struck the volcano cone deep underwater and triggered something… something big. With his anger came the subsequent physical anger of the natural force of the earth itself. An earthquake rippled through the crust. Lava burst from out fiercely from the volcanic cone and rushed through the water, as Temero's body continued to sink toward the ocean floor.

Flows of red hot material appeared, stretching across the bottom of the ocean. Still inert, Temero struggled to move as he nearly touched the intensely searing substance. Out of consciousness he drifted briefly, dreadfully near the call of death once more. A subtle rumbling began at that moment and a silver structure began to rise from the lava river.

A pyramid appeared, with countless steps constructed of heavily and forged heat-resistant metal on each face. On top, there lay an altar of sorts, with strange inscriptions on it that Temero could not read in his deathly state. His body drifted tediously onto it and suddenly felt a strange power overtaking him, surging throughout him… A mysterious heat made its way deep into his veins and an ethereal voice called out to his dreams, "_O Son of Nayru, accept the Gift of Din, Goddess of Power…_"


	2. Chapter 2 The Gift of Farore

Author's note: This chapter was made by made friend OHMYGASHA! (known here as TheGiver, I believe) when we worked on the Call of War together. This was posted originally on the NSider Forums, which are now gone. So I will be posting it here. However, my friend has unfortunately dropped this project, but I have obtained permission from him to repost it here. Thanks Ohmi!

**_Chapter 2_**  
**_The Gift of Farore  
_**By OHMYGASHA!

_Darfide slammed his fist down on the table._

"I will not stand for such blasphemy!" Darfide roared. The council of Goron elders stared at him, wide-eyed, tight-lipped. "Darfide, do not get hasty," Gorok warned. Darfide glared at him from across the rock table. All of the council, seven wise and strong Gorons, encircled the table. They met to discuss important issues concerning the Goron races.

"King Daar threatens to enslave our race," Darfide growled, "and you tell me not to be hasty? Do you realize what happens when we Gorons simply ignore our problems?"

"We have never ignored an issue," Yargoro piped up. Her timid black eyes gazed meekly upon Darfide's imposing figure.

"We ignored the issue of Volvagia, sacrificing our greatest leader," Darfide replied with venom. "We locked away Darbus, and justlook at what happened tohim!"

"Those were extreme circumstances," Belgor shouted tensely, gripping the edge of the table.

"Indeed," Darfide scoffed. "The extreme circumstance ofconfrontation."

"You are out of line!" Yargoro cried, rising to his feet. Darfide lumbered up, leaning his large forearms upon the table.

"Am I, now?" Darfide challenged. "Do not tell me none of you agree with me!"

The room was silent.

"I see," Darfide glowered at the frail Gorons. "You would rather submit to that pig's will, than to fight for what is rightfully ours!"

"Death is a high price, Darfide," Belgor reasoned.

"Death in war is the only way to die honorably," Darfide replied. "I thought Darmani would have taught you that much." The council winced at the mention of their fallen general.

"Perhaps Daar's proposition is not so harsh," Gorbar attempted to bring the room back into order. His smooth voice was wasted upon the rage-deafened ears of Darfide.

"I find nothing less harsh than slavery," Darfide bellowed, and exited the Council Room. The elders that remained sitting tiredly wiped their wrinkled brows.

"He will be the death of us," Belgor sighed.

Darfide walked through the underground city of the Gorons. Many confused Gorons glanced at him as he stormed past. The tunnel he walked through webbed through the entire _Goron_ _City__, connecting to the hub of activity--a deep chasm that formed ages ago. Darfide walked down a network of bridges and ladders, until he reached the bottom of the chasm. Bright torches burned all around, filling the air with smells of burning fat and oil. Shops were found everywhere on the bottom-most layer of the city. The higher you went in the chasm, the more expensive the shops. The bottom was the heart of the _ _Goron_ _City__, and where Darfide planned to find support. Darfide climbed up on a large platform in the middle of the bustling marketplace. Nobody payed attention to him; Darfide cleared his throat, and took a deep breath._

"Fellow Gorons!" Darfide boomed, silencing the crowd--many eyes turned to watch him. "At this moment, King Daar is planning to invade our territory, and enslave our race!" Several shocked gasps, and angry outcries burst forth from the impromptu audience. Darfide smiled grimly, and continued.

"Your Goron Council is doing nothing to protect you!" Darfide bellowed, pointing upwards at the cave ceiling. "They would rather cower in fear and accept slavery!"

The crowd grew restless when this information reached their ears. Several shouted, many cursed, and all of them fought to hear Darfide's next words.

"However, we Gorons shall not go without a fight!" Darfide rumbled. Large cheers erupted from the crowd. "If you wish to uphold the glory of the Goron race, follow me! Us Gorons shall not be ruled by Hyrule! This land was our birthright! Let us fight for it!"

A new energy surged through the crowd. Darfide climbed down from the platform, noting the large crowd of Gorons that now followed him. They all ascended to the entrance of _Goron_ _City__, making their way past the fissures in the ground, eventually reaching the tunnel that led into _ _Kakariko_ _Village__._

Darfide led the large crowd of Gorons through the tunnel. As they exited the tunnel, Darfide raised a hand to stop the Gorons. A line of Hylian soldiers formed a semicircle around the tunnel entrance.

"What have you decided?" One of the biggest soldiers demanded--Darfide guessed that it was their leader. Silent, Darfide crossed his large arms across his chest.

"Speak!" Another soldier cried. "Do you accept King Daar's terms?"

"We Gorons do not accept his tyranny!" Darfide bellowed.

"So you have issued an attack on Hyrule," the leader solemnly noted.

"We have done no such thing," Darfide replied. "Not yet. We plan to speak with Daar--"

"By refusing his gracious terms," the leader cut Darfide off, "you have sealed the fate of the Gorons."

A small crowd of Kakariko villagers were gathering, wide-eyed at the event unfolding. Darfide was anxious about their appearance--it could complicate things, if they decided to interfere.

Darfide caught the gaze of the head soldier and held it. They glared at each other, the sun beaming down upon them harshly. The leader lowered his spear towards Darfide.

The other soldiers did the same, and began to advance upon the rebellion.

"Gorons!" Darfide bellowed. "Attack!"

The group of Gorons surged behind Darfide and leapt past him. Primal roars escaped their throats as they brought rocky fists against the soldiers' armor. The spears of the army bounced harmlessly off the Gorons' tough skin.

Darfide joined in the fight, heading straight for the leader. The leader only smiled as he withdrew a heavy object from behind him. It was a large metal sphere, with bloody spikes poking from its surface. The leader picked the sphere up by a chain, and began to swing it overhead; slowly at first, but with growing speed.

Darfide was surprised, but continued toward the leader. The last time he had seen that weapon was when the Hero of Twilight used it. But that was years ago...why did the army have it under their control?

Darfide lunged towards the leader, extending a rough fist towards his face. The leader swung the ball-and-chain downwards, connecting sharply with Darfide's side. Darfide flew to the side, crashing into the dirt. He was not injured, but the wind was completely knocked out of him.

Darfide struggled to sit up as the leader advanced. He swung the ball-and-chain high over his head again, gaining momentum quickly. Darfide raised his arms over his face instinctively, steeling himself for the fatal blow.

However, the blow did not come. Darfide warily opened an eye, clutching at his side. A large Goron had jumped on the leader's back, throwing his momentum off. The ball-and-chain flew out of the leader's hands, harmlessly rolling away.

The leader elbowed the Goron in the stomach, and turned back to Darfide. During this momentary pause, Darfide had risen to his feet, dusting off his large muscles. The soldiers were slowly being corralled over to the entrance of _Kakariko_ _Village__._

The leader of the soldiers glared at Darfide; Darfide met and held his gaze, not budging an inch. The sounds of battle cries filled the air, drowning out Darfide's thoughts. The large crowd of villagers had grown considerably. The leader raised a hand and shouted to his troops to retreat.

"You shall rue this day, Goron," the leader snarled, slowly backing out of the village. The battle cries of the Gorons turned into cheers of triumphant joy. They thrust their fists into the air, roaring. Some beat their fists against their barreled chests, shouting taunts at the retreating soldiers.

The Gorons had been successful, yet Darfide knew that this would not be the last the Gorons would see of the soldiers. The King did not take defeat well...he would send more and more droves of troops, in an attempt to crush the resistance.

However, Darfide would not let the voice of the Gorons be silenced so easily.  


Darfide sat in a watch tower, surveying the land. He tapped his strong chin, deep in thought. In the distance, he saw Kakariko Village and Death Mountain. A small trace of anger boiled in his veins as he recalled how harshly he had been forced out of the Goron society. He glanced at his hand, and saw the symbol--the memories came rushing back...

A few months after the initial attack (and resistance) on the Gorons, Darfide's prediction had come true. King Daar had sent a larger troop of soldiers--they blocked out the horizon with their sheer size.

Many Gorons began to shake as they sound the collective clanking of metal grow louder and louder. Darfide ordered his army to stand their ground. The Hylian army had reached the comparatively smaller Goron resistance at the edge of Kakariko Village again.

The leader of the soldiers--Darfide learned his name was Jareau--stood at the head of the large crowd, smiling grimly at the puny gathering of Gorons.

"Well, Goron," Jareau called, "Do you still reject King Daar's offer?" Darfide widened his stance, scanning the swarm of soldiers.

"Aye," Darfide replied simply.

"Very well, then," Jareau held up a gloved hand. "You leave me no choice." He snapped, and instantly the soldiers parted. Darfide heard many Gorons gasp as they saw what had been hidden in the mass of soldiers.

"Son!" A Goron cried, leaping towards the soldiers. Jareau's grin spread, but Darfide did not budge. A soldier walked over to the cage that had been previously unseen. In the cage were several young Gorons, not even a year of age.

"Daddy!" One of the smallest Gorons shrieked, clutching at the rusty metal bars. The soldier next to the cage withdrew a large black bomb from a satchel around his waist. He struck a tinder and lit the bomb, holding it inside the cage. The fuse hissed slowly, spitting out bright sparks.

"Darfide, stop him!" Another Goron shouted.

"Go ahead," Darfide said. "Our race is resistant to explosions." On the surface, he was calm and ready, but inside, his guts were churning.

"Would you like to wager the same for the young?" Jareau was obviously enjoying this. "Either come with us, or the children will learn whether they resist bombs or not."

The Gorons in the cage beat against the bars, tears falling from their eyes. Darfide remained stolid, staring Jareau down. The tension in the air was higher than ever--the hissing of the bomb seemed so loud it nearly deafened Darfide.

A large part of the Goron resistance pulled away from their crowd, walking slowly towards the Hylian soldiers. Jareau laughed, and signaled to the cage guard. He nodded and snuffed out the bomb's fuse.

"When did you kidnap our children?" Darfide snarled.

"The villagers of Kakariko were all too willing to help," Jareau smiled darkly. "It is amazing what money, and the right promises will get you."

Jareau commanded the cage guard to open the door to the cage. He assented, and many Gorons flooded into the cage to greet their children. However, as the last one entered, the cage guard swung the door shut, bolting it with a heavy lock. The newly captured Gorons protested wildly, attempting to bend the bars of the cage. They would not budge.

"Why don't you join us now?" Jareau faked a reasonable expression. "It would save you and your people from so much suffering."

"I am saving my people from you," Darfide growled, looking at his resistance group. It was notably smaller, but a few loyal Gorons still stood behind him.

"I will leave you be," Jareau drawled. "You may go--I will not pursue you."

Darfide glared at Jareau, and began to walk away, slowly. The group of Gorons in the cage watched them go, giving up on escaping. They tended to their sobbing children as the free resistance disappeared into the mountains. Jareau narrowed his eyes and pointed at the mountain range the resistance had receded into.

"Kill them," he snarled.

The first part of the journey was easy--peaceful, even. The Gorons walked through a lush valley of green, heading towards the mountains. Darfide had heard tales of caves in the mountains--they would be ideal as the hub of all resistance activity. If he could get his troops up the mountain, they could more effectively plan a retaliation on King Daar's plans.

The valley began to slope upward as the grass gave way to rocks. Darfide looked up and saw the path that would wind through the jagged faces of the mountains. He turned around and faced his troop.

"This journey is not for the faint of heart," Darfide spoke calmly. "It will be dangerous. I cannot guarantee that you will return alive."

The Gorons looked at him, wide-eyed, but then began to silently form a single-file line in front of Darfide. They all smiled strongly, looking at Darfide with an unquenchable fire in their eyes. Darfide nodded, returning their smile, and began to lead the troop upward.

The path grew more narrow as they ascended deeper into the mountains. The jagged peaks loomed everywhere, threatening to block out the sun. The temperature began to drop steeply the higher they went. Soon, ice was forming on the Goron's thick hides.

They crossed a bridge, narrowly escaping death--the bridge was not meant to support the combined weight of a dozen Gorons. It swayed and strained under their massive frames, but Darfide thanked Din that it held.

Soon, the wind picked up, threatening to blow the Gorons off the face of the mountain itself. Darfide and the rest of the Gorons shouldered against the harsh winds, and continued on. After a while, snow began to appear--first in tiny clumps, then in large patches, and eventually it surrounded the Gorons at every turn.

The Gorons shivered as the cold began to permeate their skins. Darfide himself was growing weary, but he knew that if they found the cave, they could at least warm themselves up. Dark clouds swirled above them, birthing sharp tridents of lightning that ripped through the sky.

"Do not give up!" Darfide tried to reassure his troop, despite his decreasing belief in the fabled caves.

However, just as nature seemed to be against them, and just before they were about to give up--they spotted a cave in the distance. The Gorons cheered and followed Darfide with renewed vigor. The path had long since given out, making the last hour of the journey slow and arduous. None of the Gorons cared at this point, as they finally saw salvation in the form of the cave.

They headed up a steep incline, before finally reaching a flat outcropping of rock, where the cave was. It pierced high above the swirling storm clouds, overlooking Hyrule from its frozen throne. A thick fog choked the ground far below, so the view was useless--but the view was not what the Gorons needed at this point.

Darfide's jaw dropped, and his heart sank. He was certain the other Gorons were feeling the same thing--their hopes of safety and warmth had been crushed. A large boulder blocked the way to the cave. Darfide and the Gorons approached it, contemplating the situation.

At that moment, a band of Hylian soldiers crested the peak of the mountain, appearing where the Gorons had just come from. They entered the outcropping, surrounding the Gorons. Many of them breathed heavily, bending over. Despite their ragged appearance, Darfide knew how bad of a position the Gorons were in. There was nowhere to go, and they were now trapped between a rock and a spear.

The soldiers caught their breath and lowered their spears at the Gorons. Darfide glanced at his troop; they were preparing to fight, shaking off the snow that was collecting on their arms.

Darfide stayed behind, steeling himself to the conditions. If he was distracted by the cold, then he could not fight--and that he could not afford. The soldiers moved in on the Gorons slowly, hiding behind their shields.

Darfide signaled for the Gorons to attack, and his orders were carried out. The Gorons were severely outnumbered, even considering how small the group of soldiers was. The Gorons watched their footing, as a single mistake here could lead to death. Darfide headed into the heat of battle, grabbing one of the soldiers by the shoulders. He lifted him up high overhead and tossed him over the edge of the outcropping. Two Hylian soldiers surrounded Darfide, trying to prod him over the edge.

Darfide scoffed and slammed them into the boulder. They fell over, unconscious. The blood lust he had felt so long ago was finally returning to his veins--no longer was he passively sitting around and following the orders of the Goron Council! He had taken matters into his own hands, and the call of war would be heard all through Hyrule!

Darfide had forgotten how quickly the tide of battle could change. The other Gorons, severely weakened by the trek through the mountains already, found themselves running on their last reserves of strength. They had not expected the Hylian soldiers to follow them into the mountains, and because of that, they were not prepared for such a battle.

The Hylian soldiers soon controlled the battle, overwhelming the Gorons. The Gorons backed up into the rock wall, frantically searching for a way to escape. A line of Hylian soldiers advanced upon them, forcing them to group together. A large soldier stepped forward, bearing a large mallet. It was made out of polished iron, and even the large man strained to lift it up. Darfide slipped on a patch of ice, and fell on his back. His head hit the boulder sharply, creating a loud ringing in his head.

Dazed, he barely heard the protests of his fellow Goron as the large man raised the hammer high over his head. Darfide raised his arms over his face instinctively, trying to clear his thoughts. He waited for the impact of the hammer, waited for death, waited for the end of it all...

But it never came. Darfide slowly opened his eyes as the ringing subsided. He looked at the man, and wondered how he kept the sword in mid-air like that. Darfide rose to his feet, glancing around at his troop. He saw expressions of terror in their eyes; many of seemed to be trembling.

The Hylian soldiers stood opposite of them, expressions of triumph clear upon their worn faces. They had put their spears down, confident of a victory. Darfide furrowed his brow, noticing that the snow was not falling--it hung suspended in the air. Cautiously, Darfide ran a hand through the air, and felt the tiny flakes of snow attach to his skin, and quickly melt.

The wind had stopped howling--the clouds no longer moved. Time itself had stopped. A voice spoke to Darfide, soft as a feather.  
_  
"O son of Din, accept the Gift of Farore, Goddess of Courage..." _


	3. Chapter 3 The Call Enters the Forest

**_Chapter 3_**  
_**The Call Enters the Forest  
**_

Darkness was everything to the unconscious mind of Farea. Its icy black tendrils traced twisted paths into her dreams, her consciousness. She knew of nothing and was utterly alone—alone in her very own mind. Suddenly, she was aware of a violent struggling in her mind and began to vaguely ponder what that motion was. With a jolt, Farea realized it was herself—herself combating the shadowy mists to regain her consciousness.

Abruptly, the harsh truth of reality snapped back into view and horrid memories were summoned up deep from within her psyche to haunt her waking consciousness: the Hylians trampling over their way of life, the trees being slaughtered to feed their horrifying machines, the deadly fires spreading into their formerly peaceful home of Kokiri Forest. The fire! "Oh no! Great Deku Tree!" shouted Farea above the roar of the flames.

The young girl pulled herself from the ground and dashed wildly to the clearing where the patron guardian of the Kokiri lay firmly planted to the ground. Around her, trees collapsed to the ground—the flames having weakened them—and the tiny Kokiri huts imploded in on themselves. The single place where Farea had spent the last three hundred years was dying in a maelstrom of raging fire and crackling heat—and she paid no heed to it, remaining focused on her mission to save the Great Deku Tree. Tears dripping relentlessly from her cobalt blue eyes, she sprinted into the clearing and halted in horror at the incoming flames.

Rising above the canopy of the Kokiri Forest was a massive tree trunk—seemingly oblivious to the fire—etched with markings that created the appearance of a wizened old face. "Great Deku Tree! Please wake up!" Farea begged fervently, tugging on the tree's gnarled roots. Her bellowing did have some effect and the enormous tree shook suddenly, releasing several massive leaves to the ground. The huge eyes slowly peeked open and Farea jumped up in jubilation. "Great Deku Tree! You're alright!"

"Ah, Farea… Where are the others? Saria, Mido…?" rumbled the Great Deku Tree, his mighty voice vibrating through the mass of trees around him.

"I don't know, I think they escaped to the Lost Woods!" cried Farea, beginning to panic again. "Oh, what shall I do?" she muttered, pacing across the clearing in consternation.

"Farea, my daughter… you must follow them. I cannot bear for you to be consumed by these deadly flames," the Great Deku Tree told her, his face wrinkled up in despairing grief. "Please, Farea! Leave now!" he commanded, when the Kokiri child did not move.

"I am sorry, Great Deku Tree," apologized Farea, "but I must save you first. I will find someway!" She glanced around frantically, searching for something—anything—that could save the Great Deku Tree. When her rummaging about resulted in futility, she murmured under her breath, "How did it come to this?" Indeed, how had it? The memories that had returned earlier surged back in full force and Farea sat down to contemplate them and await her doom…

_Six months earlier, it would have been extremely difficult—almost laughable—to explain to Farea that a fire would almost destroy _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__ someday. In fact, if anyone suggesting such a thing, that person would have been the laughingstock of _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__ for at least a week. Such was the happiness and joy in the forest that anything could be made into a source of enjoyment and fun to the tribe of eternal children. Including hunting for food, which was Farea's absolute favorite activity out of all things, though, this was a necessity instead of a recreational event much like other activities._

_Farea stepped lightly upon the green forest floor, a large slingshot in hand. She glanced quickly toward a small rabbit leaping through the brush—its ears poking up each time it stopped to look around—and then turned back to steady her slingshot. Fortunately, the rabbit could not see her; Farea quietly thanked the Great Deku Tree that her tunic was such a leafy green so as to camouflage herself from any animals that roamed free in the woods. Then, placing a large spiked stone into the elastic band wrapped the slingshot and pulling it back, Farea prepared to release toward the rabbit. _

_Eyes narrowed, Farea peered around a great barky tree that rose above her and aimed her slingshot carefully at her still moving target. Careful… Careful… Now! At that instant, she removed her left hand from the slingshot swiftly and the potential energy stored in the tiny weapon was transformed into kinetic energy, propelling the elastic band forward—and with it, the rock. The stone soared cleanly through the air and smacked the rabbit loudly upon the head, likely giving it a deadly concussion or a massive bleeding, which in a rabbit would commonly cause death. "Yeah!" cheered Farea with glee, leaping up into the air. Her long, golden hair swung around wildly as she did so and her long green hat flopped onto the ground. _

_After recovering her hat, she came to retrieve her capture and with practiced skill, began to slice the skin from the dead rabbit with a small pocket knife. Afterwards, she placed the carcass into a woven hunting bag. All this was done in a period of less than five minutes. As she finished, Farea turned to a trickling brook that ran beside the forest clearing and cleaned her hands of rabbit skin and blood. Afterwards, she put her palms together and made a quick prayer to the spirit of the slain rabbit, offering it good luck in the afterworld. _

_Then, she turned to the west to honor the rabbit—for the west is the spot where the sun sets, representing death—expecting to see the beautiful orange light radiating through the countless trees filling the forest; instead, Farea caught sight of a group of tall and very strange giants wearing gray plates that almost completely covered their bodies. From a distance, Farea observed that they carried long silver spears, with metal points bright as illumination from the sun reflected from them. Who were they? Farea stood, placing her bag on her back and pondered this question. The issue of being afraid of these men never came to Farea's mind at this moment, she would later admit. As a member of a tribe of child-like joy, fear and anger—to Farea—were things heard of only in the great stories of the past or legends about heroes venturing in dank caverns or out for vengeance that they would tell around the campfire, not emotions that would be dealt with on a day-to-day basis. _

_She squinted as to better observe the giants who continued to purposefully stride toward her and calculated—from their great height and the distance from the little river near which Farea stood—that close up they would tower over her small child frame. Then, Farea realized she was wrong—the soldiers were not walking toward her. In fact, they were heading to a massive tree that loomed high above the ground. Farea, now utterly puzzled at their actions, stepped across the stream and crouched down behind a berry shrub, all the while continuing to watch the odd intruders. Still, she did not think of them as intruders—for that word was alien to her Kokiri mind. _

_Nearer and nearer they marched and as they did so, Farea was able to quietly count about a dozen of them. Why were they here? The answer—one that would be horrifying to Farea's nature oriented mind—was soon revealed in its harsh entirety. The group of tall lean soldiers parted suddenly and a much shorter and stouter one—though he would still greatly surpass the height of any Kokiri—appeared, heaving a heavy weapon on his back. Farea quickly focused on that object—what was that for? It was made of a thick wooden handle and an enormous sharpened stone that was rounded—an axe, realized Farea, which the Kokiri would often use to quickly topple ailing or lifeless trees, to end their suffering. _

_The wood was then used to build tools—such as Farea's slingshot—and their homes, but whenever a tree was killed for such a thing to occur a great ritual would be immediately held to thank the spirit of the tree for assisting the children of the forest. As such, trees were very rarely felled in the Lost Woods—perhaps only once every hundred years—allowing most of them to grow to immense proportions. Farea then realized what the soldiers intended to do, but still she did not realize exactly how frightening their objective was—as she automatically assumed that they had come to help a dead tree out. The stout man hefted the axe and with a mighty grunt, slammed the weapon into the bark of the tree. Suddenly, a piercing mental shout filled the clearing, bombarding Farea's inner forest sense. That tree was still alive! _

_To her surprise, another group of men appeared in the distance and again, another man wielded an axe. More and more soldiers strode confidently into the clearing and began to smack sharp axes into the sides of many trees—and with each strike, a shrill mental scream roared out and struck Farea's ears with great force. Farea watched in stunned horror as the trees—trees that had stood for at least 200 years—fell to a couple axes in less than ten minutes. As each died, an ethereal shockwave exploded in all directions—much more powerful than those of the ailing trees cut down by the Kokiri—showing Farea the clear and powerful vigor of the living trees compared to deathly ill trees. As more and more trees began to be attacked by these soldiers, Farea felt a strange sensation flood her body. She didn't know what this was, but it was certainly directed to toward those men for killing so many innocent trees that had so much more to live for—could it be anger? _

_She stood suddenly, and narrowed her eyes at the soldiers. How could they do this to those poor trees? Farea turned her eyes to the nearest squad of soldiers and suddenly darted out into the clearing, surprised at her own actions. Before she knew it, she had head-butted one of the soldiers directly in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. His startled scream quickly alerted the other scattered groups of soldiers who stood among the trees. _

_"Hey, it's one of them Kokiri kids!" roared a soldier. "Get her!" He lunged at her with both arms outstretched to grab her, but her short and slender figure dodged his attack and hurried off into the forest. As he slipped onto the ground, he ordered, "Go after her now!" _

_Others attempted to pursue her through the woods, but her speed and knowledge of the forest allowed her to quickly escape back to _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__. As Farea weaved between the numerous trees filling the forest, her heart thumped anxiously against her chest. Glancing back, Farea searched for any sign of the horrible soldiers, but they had vanished into the forest. Good, there was no one left to follow her to the secret location of the _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__. Then, as Farea's mind left this subject, it wandered onto a more pressing matter: these men were cutting down the trees, live ones at that! Farea felt that hot feeling rush through her body like a deadly stream once more at the thought of such terrible things happening. What would she tell everyone once she returned home?_

_She continued to run. Night began to cover up the sky and the glittering stars twinkled into being overhead. The moon rose up, the great white disc reflecting silver light to the world below. _

_At that moment, the _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__ came into view, with its crystal-clear and pristine stream gliding between the various unique huts filling the clearing that was the village. Farea immediately made a beeline to the hut of Saria, the most well-known and respected Kokiri there was in the forest. "Saria, Saria!" Farea bellowed urgently, her voice carrying across the village._

_ "Farea? What's wrong?" asked Saria evenly, her beautiful green hair almost glittering in the brilliant moonlight._

_ Farea tried to explain, "Saria! Men… trees… cut!" At Saria's confused look, Farea continued, "There were these men! And they—"_

_ Saria was forced to cut in, "Hold on, Farea! Please, come inside and calm down before explaining. Agreed?" Farea nodded tiredly and entered dazedly, sitting down on a small stool. Saria continued to stand and told her, "When you are ready, start from the beginning, okay?"_

_ Farea continued to feel the jolt of adrenaline surging through her body and searched for a focus point with which to calm herself. Her eyes scanned the room and unexpectedly fell upon Saria's tranquil green eyes, their serenity seemingly expanding to fill Farea's consciousness. She continued to look at their soothing hue and suddenly a strange blackness covered her eyes. It was only after awhile that she realized that her eyes had closed from relaxation. Then she opened them and began to explain, "Saria, I was out in the woods, and-and I saw these men—they were enormous!—who were they; do you know?"_

_ "Hylians, perhaps?" muttered Saria. "Yes, they were most likely Hylians, from the _ _land__ of _ _Hyrule__ to the north. But why would they be here? I haven't encountered them for about four hundred years!"_

_ "I know why they were here! They were cutting down lots of trees; I saw it myself! Really!" she added, at Saria's shocked look._

_ "Hylians… have always respected our ways in the past," Saria explained. "Why would they so blatantly trample over our way of life?" she asked out loud. She paced for a couple seconds, searching her memory for some answer, and then she snapped her fingers. "Yes, of course! It has been so long since they've heard of us, that they've forgotten all about our way of life! It must be so!"_

_ "No, it wasn't! When I was there, one of them said, 'Hey, it's a Kokiri kid!' He knew I was a Kokiri! They know about us!" reasoned Farea._

_ "I see… We must go talk to them!" announced Saria._

_ "What?!" cried Farea in surprise. "No way; those—Hylians, right?—were scary, Saria!_  
_ We've gotta stay away from them!"_

_ Saria halted in the doorway and sighed. "Farea, you were the latest Kokiri to be created by the Great Deku Tree, weren't you?"_

_ "I-I think so. About three hundred years ago," answered Farea._

_ "Then listen carefully, Farea! I must tell you about the Hylians and how, many years ago, a Hylian helped save our great forest," Saria told her, turning back into the hut._

_ "Wow, really!" Farea leaned forward in interest. "I love hearing new stories!"_

_ "You've never heard this before? Well, it all began when a Hylian mother brought her child to this forest. She was dying, Farea, so she had to give her child, Link, to the Great Deku Tree—who decided to adopt him and raise him as a Kokiri," began Saria._

_ "But, he didn't have a fairy, then," interrupted Farea. "Back then, all the Kokiri would have fairies, right?"_

_ "Back then, yes—before they all left for a journey to a distant land. So, he grew up in the forest, thinking he was one of the Kokiri… and I was his friend. One day, an evil man from the desert came and cursed the Great Deku Tree with a terrible curse—and Link managed to kill the monster that hid within the Deku Tree—with the help of his new fairy, Navi."_

_ "Cool!" cheered Farea._

_ "But it was too late!" continued Saria. "The Great Deku Tree fell to the curse, but not before warning Link of the evil man's goal and rewarding him with a magical stone. Link then had to leave the forest, to go find Princess Zelda who lived in a grand castle."_

_ "What for?" pondered Farea._

_ "The evil man required three Spiritual Stones to earn the mystical artifact—the Triforce. Link had the Spiritual Stone of _ _Forest__ already, but Zelda knew where the others lay hidden. And together, they gathered the three stones to gain the Triforce before the evil man, called Ganondorf."_

_ "Ganondorf?" Farea whispered, the name sending a chill down her spine._

_ "Yes, Ganondorf… Link hurried back to the castle, but it was too late. Ganondorf pursued Zelda away, as he searched for her magical Ocarina of Time, which was a vital item required to reveal the Triforce! As she rode away with her nursemaid, she tossed the Ocarina to Link, who immediately proceeded to the _ _Temple__ of _ _Time__ and placed all three stones there. With the Ocarina, he opened the Door of Time."_

_ "What was in there?" asked Farea intently._

_ "The legendary Master Sword, also called the Blade of Evil's Bane. He quickly drew it, which would open the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce had been sealed for many years.! He was almost there… but the one who wields the Master Sword is destined to be the Hero of Time and he was too young… So, the sword sealed him away in the Sacred Realm for seven years, until he was old enough!"_

_ "What?!" Farea whined._

_ "Ganondorf took his chances and snuck in the Sacred Realm as Link slept… and he seized the Triforce with his filthy hands! Then, during Link's seven years asleep, he conquered the _ _land__ of _ _Hyrule__ and terrorized the people."_

_ "Oh no!" cried Farea._

_ "Finally, Link woke up to see that he was an adult! Rauru, the Sage of Light, told him that he would have to collect Six Medallions from the Six Sages to defeat Ganondorf. Rauru gave him the first one—Light Medallion—and sent him on his way."_

_ "Adult?" Farea wrinkled her face in confusion at the odd term._

_ "Oh, you see Farea, for Hylians, they… grow up. They don't stay kids forever, Farea. Then they… die," Saria tried to explain._

_ Farea's face showed an expression of sheer horror. "They die?" she whispered slowly. "That means—is Link dead?" Farea wondered. Then, she turned to Saria and was shocked by the great expression of sorrow that lay upon her face._

_ "Yes, Farea…" whispered Saria, grief choking her voice. "He was my friend, and I missed him greatly. Link was… different from everyone else in the forest and I—Well, he's gone now," she finished, her voice suddenly sharp as if to disguise her continuous centurial mourning._

_ "Sorry," muttered Farea apologetically. "Um, could you please continue?" she requested after a short moment of awkward silence._

_ "Yeah," replied Saria, wiping a single tear away with her index finger. "The first thing Link did was return to this forest to see how his home had changed over the years. To his horror, monsters of all sorts had taken over the forest. So, he proceeded to the _ _Forest_ _Temple__ and searched for the _ _Forest__ Sage within. Eventually, he dueled with Ganondorf's servant, Phantom Ganon, awakening the true Forest Sage," Saria explained, her story-telling voice perhaps a tad bit less enthusiastic than before._

_ "Who was that?" Farea asked, curious to know what happened next._

_ "Me. I'm the _ _Forest__ Sage that guards the _ _Forest_ _Temple__," replied Saria._

_ "Wh-what?! You?" Farea's eyes widened in awed surprise at this revelation._

_ "Correct. But, I haven't had to perform many duties for a long time… Well, anyway, after he did that, he searched for four more sages, learning that each one was someone close to him, including me. Along the way, a mysterious person called Sheik assisted Link in his endeavors._

_ At last, the time had come to meet Zelda again, in the _ _Temple__ of _ _Time__. To Link's great surprise, Sheik was revealed to be Zelda, in a disguise! Zelda hurriedly explained that Ganondorf had not acquired all the three shards of the Triforce, only receiving the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom was granted to Zelda and the Triforce of Courage was Link's._

_ But then, a great and evil laugh echoed through the _ _Temple__. Ganondorf, hearing Zelda's story, snatched her up in a crystal, hoping to gain her piece of the Triforce. Link entered the castle with the help of the Six Sages and defeated Ganondorf in an epic battle! Swiftly, the Six Sages with the help of Zelda—the Seventh Sage—sealed the King of Evil away in the Sacred Realm…forever!"_

_ Farea leaped up in her seat, shouting, "He did it! He won!"_

_ Saria smiled slightly. "Yes. Yes, he did…" Silence filled the room, the only noise the popping and crackling of Saria's warm fireplace. Darkness enveloped the forest outside and Saria murmured quietly, "Farea, why don't you return to your home now?" Farea agreed and—going over the story of the Hero of Time once more—walked across the dark village, listening to the constant sound of crickets…_

_ So, in this way, Farea learned the story of Link, the Hero of Time. Certainly, she enjoyed the story, especially since Saria was one of his friends—which Farea thought was neat. Yet, it completely bewildered her; the story showed to her how selfless and heroic a Hylian could be, but those that she had encountered earlier had no such characteristics. How could such a paradox exist? That question plagued Farea's dreams that night and the next day, the conundrum would grow larger in her mind…_

_ A diplomatic team was organized by Saria to go confront the Hylians and demand to know what they were doing. Farea, still puzzling over the great question, insisted on following the group out into the forest—even amidst Saria's protests that Farea was not experienced enough to deal with such matters. So, the small group that included Saria; Farea; Mido, the tough and looked-up-to "leader" of the Kokiri tribe; and Joro, Loro, and Boro, together known as the Know-It-All brothers, marched off into the woods in search of the Hylian invaders._

_ At last, Farea cried, "Listen to that, guys!" She cupped her hand to her ears and heard a clear and continuous thudding noise. She shivered when she remembered that that was the sound of an axe striking the brown bark of an innocent tree. Again, Farea felt an odd heat rush through her body at the thought of so many tree deaths…_

_ The others seemed to recognize the noise as well. Mido, upon hearing it, shouted out, "Cutting down trees? Here?! Oh no, they don't!" He ran forward, eyes grimly determined._

_ Saria lowered her head. "It is true then. The Hylians are murdering the trees… How did it come to this? Especially after…" She didn't continue the sentence._

_ "After Link?" muttered Farea quietly so the others would not hear her._

_ "Yeah. Especially after what Link did all those years ago…I just can't believe that anyone would do that."_

_ "C'mon, Saria, Farea!" called Loro, running to keep up with his identical brothers. "You guys can gossip about girl stuff later!" The two girls nodded, but continued to speak together in hushed tones. Loro shrugged, and followed the rest of the diplomatic group._

_ "Saria, was Mido… angry?" asked Farea suddenly, as she tried to organize her new emotions. "Is that what it means? To be angry?"_

_ "Ah, Farea. You haven't really had experience with anger, correct?" Farea confirmed this fact with a quick and silent nod. "After all, you are the youngest Kokiri in our tribe… Anyway," continued Saria, "anger is a dangerous emotion, really. It comes to you when… something bad happens—that you don't like—but especially when somebody else does it to you, or to someone you love. Why do you ask?"_

_ Farea had on her face a sort of befuddled expression. Slowly, she asked, "I'm wondering… what does anger do? What can it make you do?"_

_ "Make you do?" Saria repeated. "Sometimes, anger grows out of control and you might do things to relieve that anger or take it out on someone else. Did that happen to you?"_

_ "I—um, yes. When they were killing so many trees, I just—well, I suppose I attacked them. Not that much, but they chased me," Farea explained. "I was confused, I guess."_

_ Saria nodded carefully. "I understand how you felt. It happened to me 3000 years ago, when I was first created. Now, let us not dwell on such matters. Come, Farea, we must keep up with our comrades, alright?" Farea agreed, and the two children hurried to catch up with the other Kokiri, who were far ahead of them—hidden somewhere in the maze that was the Lost Woods. _

_The forest's cool air shivered through the leaves that eternally covered each and every tree. The leaves created a smooth rippling sound and Farea sighed suddenly, as she enjoyed the simple fact that they lived in such a wonderful place. Her memories reminded her then that there were these strange men, who had invaded their forest to murder trees, but Farea forced herself to suppress these thoughts; she believed that the matter would be resolved quickly and it would all be over._

_ Pillars of natural brown and leafy green shot up around them, creating a seemingly endless maze, but of course, the forest must end somewhere; and so it did, in a horribly abrupt fashion. The walls of trees suddenly faded into nothingness, save for the somber and lonely tree stumps—the devastating aftermath of the great battle between proud, giant tree and axe-wielding Hylian. Saria gasped in horror, while Farea clenched her fists, furious at the ugly image. Eyes narrowed, she peered around the area to search for the perpetrator. All at once, she noticed a cluster of tall soldiers in the distance, all wearing proud armor over their bodies for protection. Each man clutched a weapon of his choice as they anxiously argued with each other. Mido and the other Kokiri stood defiantly nearby, occasionally adding their own comments to the intense debate._

_ "Let's go," cried Farea. "I want to show them what happens when you mess with the Kokiri tribe!" she announced heatedly, marching forward._

_ "Hold on, Farea," interjected Saria calmly, holding out a hand to block Farea's way. "You might not have much experience with Hylians and I understand that, but I remember the times when they would be treated as guests in the forest or when they would simply respect our way of life. Before we fight, we must learn what it is that they want and negotiate." Saria moved ahead into the clearing, followed by a silent and grim Farea._

_ "I told you, you guys have to leave now!" roared Mido, stamping his foot onto the ground. "Now! GO!" He pointed irately toward the north—where the Hylians had come from._

_ "Sorry kid," answered the tallest soldier as condescendingly looked down up Mido as a naughty child. "These are the King's and his general's orders and we can't disobey on threat of death. We got no choice now!" Turning to a comrade, he muttered orders to cut down another tree that still stood by his lonesome amidst the sea of his fallen brothers. A burly man with a thick axe marched toward it, weapon raised for a death blow._

_ "Hold it!" cried Saria, her voice interrupting the tense situation. "I'm the leader of the Kokiri tribe and I wish to speak with your leader." She spoke firmly, yet calmly. The axe-wielding man halted and glanced hesitantly at the captain, shook his head slowly. The captain turned from the other Kokiri to scrutinize the newcomers. Saria waited patiently for some sort of greeting, while Farea resentfully glowered at the guards; she could still feel the depressed wisps of energy hovering around the area and she shivered at their cold touch._

_ "Hello there," greeted the captain uncomfortably, unnerved by Farea's glare of intense anger. Slightly frightened by the stare, he turned to Saria for her answer._

_ "Why are you doing this?" Saria immediately asked. "Hylians have always respected the ways of the Kokiri, haven't they?" Saria folded her arms, expectantly waiting for a response._

_ "Ways of life? The King never mentioned any thing like that!" muttered the captain, his massive eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion. "He only said that they weren't any sort of threat—"_

_ "That's right," cut in Saria. "These trees are sacred to the Kokiri tribe and carry the life force of this entire forest—no, the world. Understand that the Great Deku Tree upholds all the life forms of this world, but his power is only as great as the strength of these trees. If you kill these trees, his magical presence will fade from the world and the life force of the world will slowly drain into the void."_

_ The captain looked horrified and stunned for a short instant. He glanced quickly at his soldiers, and they all shrugged or looked down in fear. Then, the leader of the squad turned away from Saria and began to discuss matters with his teammates, while Saria looked on patiently. Farea took the moment of brief intermission to hurry over to check the condition of the final remaining tree._

_ "Sir, what do we do now?" inquired a soldier in a low tone._

_ His superior officer was silent for a brief moment, save for the nervous clicking of his tongue. Afterwards, he answered, "We must go ahead with our plan. The King's orders are law."_

_ "But, Captain Belarn!" cried out a soldier in fear. "Didn't you hear what she said? The world may die because of our actions here!"_

_ "You fool!" shouted Belarn, delivering a heavy, open-handed blow across the other soldier's face. "Do you really believe these pathetic superstitions?" When his soldiers did not reply to his accusatory question, he sighed in an irritable way. "We must remember! These were General Link's orders!"_

_ Saria's eyes widened with sudden hope at the sound of Link's name and she suddenly cried out, "Link!? Link is alive?" Simultaneously, Farea—with great interest—glanced upward from the roots of the tree, listening carefully to the conversation that was unfolding.._

_ "How do you know General Link?" demanded the captain, stepping forward threateningly._

_ "Is he the Hero of Time?" Saria demanded back, hoping to discover the identity of this Link: was it her long-lost friend, or was it another hero who had risen to fight evil?_

_ "Hero of Time?" Belarn chuckled as if the answer was obvious. "He died at least 500 years ago. This Link is my superior, the Hero of the Twilight, and current General of Hyrule—second only to the King himself!" explained the captain._

_ "A new Link, then," whispered Saria. "Tell me this!" she cried, raising her voice for all to hear her proclamation. "Why would any such hero demand the blatant destruction of this forest? What kind of hero is willing to destroy our way of life?! Tell me that, and then we can negotiate!" Her voice became passionately energized and the captain took a few moments to take in her audacious speech. Mido and the Know-It-All Brothers nodded fervently in support of her statement._

_ "Very well," complied the captain. "I will—to the best of my ability—attempt to explain why Link has ordered us to do this. This…this is what he told me, in his words: 'An ancient evil is rising to cover our land in shadows, seeking to expand his empire. War… is soon to be upon us. Factories…factories of war must be created to combat this evil. Belarn, go to the south-east, past _ _Kakariko_ _Village__ and _ _Ordon_ _Village__, until you find the ancient forest. There, you may use the greatly abundant lumber to power our factories. I will send workers with you…' And that was what he said, before I left," concluded Belarn._

_ Saria was silent after this story, trying to understand the implications of these orders. Her eyes softened and she spoke, "It is good that each side now understands the perspective of the other. If these trees—your factories—will help to save your land from destruction, then I will not and can not hold anything against you…" She paused for emphasis, and continued with a sharper tone, "However, I expect that you will respect our way of life and will not return to destroy any more of these trees for at least a year and a day. Once that day comes, then we negotiate again. Is that clear?"_

_ "Very well. I suspect that this lumber is good enough for at least a year, anyways. And—I don't know how true the legends are—I believe that the trees in the forest grow extraordinarily quickly? The trees will be back in no time! Let's go men, back to the camp. They won't be hearing about us for a long time, isn't that right?" The men murmured with confusion, but seemed to agree with this, following their captain out of the clearing. In a few moments, there was nothing more of the Hylians that could be seen…_

_ "Well, good riddance!" shouted Mido into the distance. "That's right; stay out!" Then, he marched back to the village, followed by the brothers. As they walked, they quietly discussed the meaning of what they had just seen._

_ "That's that, then," stated Saria, speaking to Farea. "The Hylians won't be back for awhile… and by then, the forest will have recovered. Besides, they won't need anymore trees."_

_ "Was that a good idea?" Farea's eyes were concerned. "How do you know you can trust them?"_

_ "I don't. The only things I have are the memories of Link and word of this captain. If he should prove untrustworthy…" The sentence remained unfinished, but Farea received the implication that in such a scenario, the only choice would be to resist. "Let us return home. This day has been long…"_


	4. Chapter 4 The Gift of Nayru

**_Chapter 4   
The Gift of Nayru_**

_Three months passed peacefully, with no sign of Hylians throughout the forest. Farea began to believe that they were trustworthy after all—for they had not come back, demanding more trees. They had come for what they wanted and left, so what was the worry? Probably they were just still building their "factories" and wouldn't even need anymore trees. With no outsiders around, existence in the _ _Kokiri_ _Forest__ continued on as usual, with the children enjoying life in general._

Farea sighed and leaned back into her hammock, feeling the gentle warmth of the fireplace flowing to fill her hut. It had been a long day, for the Kokiri had just celebrated the World Festival, a time of merriment and love of the forest. Deep into the night hours the festivities plunged, with each minute bringing with it another tale of the forest or another game to be played. It was soon after _midnight__ that Farea felt the heavy weight of sleep descend upon her and she was forced to retire to her relaxed hut._

As she put out the fire, darkness filled the room, but the heat remained. Briefly adjusting her pillow, Farea again laid herself comfortably onto her bed. The others had likely finished cleaning up the party and were themselves ready to depart into dreamland. Farea closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her… Instantly, consciousness faded away, leaving her in a state extremely receptive to the forest energies.

In the darkness of sleep, Farea drifted through the sea of the mind, unaware of anything and anyone. All at once, she was forced rudely from her dreams at the sound of a painful, psychic shout. She herself awoke screaming at the force of the spiritual shockwave, heart leaping wilding about. Farea took several deep breaths to calm herself and slow the movement of adrenaline. At last, she could think about what she had just felt and heard—or was it both?

Something full of life—connected deeply to the forest—had just been cut off from the world—in other words, dead. What was it? Farea thought back to the trees cut down by the Hylians—could it be? They had! They had betrayed Saria's trust and killed another innocent tree! Farea knew this was true; no Kokiri would kill a tree so alive and no animal's death at the hands of a predator was so filled with energy!

Feeling the familiar anger once more, Farea leaped out of bed, dashing over to Saria's house. Darkness still covered the forest, though light patches of blue had begun to appear overhead. As she entered, Farea cried, "Did you feel it? They killed another tree!"

Saria was already awake, sitting up solemnly in her bed. "I know. They've destroyed the last traces of our trust by slaying such a mighty thing. I must go see them—now."

"Is that a good idea?" asked Farea slowly. "I mean, these guys are crazy tree murderers! We can't just go up to them and—"

"No. If we wait any longer, more areas of our forest may fall to these men. Let's gather up the whole tribe. Come!"

Saria's adamancy showed in the next couple hours, as she brought the entire tribe—armed fully with slingshots—out to the clearing in order to confront the Hylians. Yet, when they arrived, there was no sign of the Hylians—save for the destruction of the final tree. Farea cried out upon spotting the forlorn stump that still remained and hurried to examine the new tree stump.

She bent over the stump, running her fingers across the tree rings. On her hands, she felt a strange sticky sensation that she instantly recognized as tree sap. Unlike the tree sap from sick trees, this sap was fresh meaning… "It was killed only a few hours ago," reasoned Farea. The others stood stunned for a minute, unsure of what to do. "They were here!" shouted Farea, trying to assert herself. "Let's go find them and see what they are up to!" With that final remark, she sprinted from the destroyed clearing and toward the end of the forest. 

_"Saria, what do we do?" wondered a Kokiri girl. They all glanced expectantly at their tribal leader, hoping that she had some answer._

"We must not do anything," Saria said finally. "For right now, it is best to let them come to us. Stay here. Return to the village. But I will go after Farea, before she does anything too reckless." Calmly and carefully, Saria strode through the fallen trees and reached the end of the forest as the other children looked on in suspense.

"Farea!" called Saria, as she looked out into the great field north of the Lost Woods. The golden grass stretched far into the relatively flat distance—very much unlike the forest, with its massive trees blockading the view in all directions. Saria scanned the view, searching for a spot of green that might be Farea's tunic. Cupping her hands to focus her voice, she cried again, "Farea!" There was no reply. Saria anxiously waited for a reply, and after several minutes, she walked out onto the grass, searching in all directions. Her worry grew thicker as she spotter twirling black smoke floating away into the sky.

Saria climbed to the top of a great hill and peered over its crest, hoping to gain view of Farea. What she saw was shocking—and slightly horrifying. A great pit—essentially an enormous sore on the surface of the earth—had appeared in the field, with its entire infrastructure layered into levels each loaded with machines of mechanical ingenuity—or from another point of view, unnatural abominations of nature. These machines and other industrial structures were organized—if such a word could be used for something as chaotic as this—into a sprawling black mass of steam engines and blast furnaces. Black smoke twisted malevolently into the air, choked out by a series of enormous exhaust pipes that protruded furiously from the buildings like devil's horns. And rising above this sea of mechanical power and puncturing the sky with its sharp point was a thin and menacing spike of a tower, with needles of massive size shooting from its otherwise seamless surface. The fortress exuded a presence of great power at any cost and overwhelming authority over all. Hylians marched back and forth—in and out of the huge, forbidding gates, up and down elevators and ladders—shoving elongated stretches of lumber into the searing furnaces, while others forged weapons into all sorts of lethal shapes. And in the middle of all this was a frightened Farea.

She had never seen any sort of factory—of which this was the most extreme type—before, being from the forest. Indeed, in her mind she truly believed she was seeing the work of those who wished to destroy the forest and all other works of nature. What was all this for, anyways, if not for simply destroying nature? That was what Farea wondered, as she observed the horror of industrial might. It looked impressive—in a mindless mechanical way—that was for sure, but what was so important that they would go soiling nature to such an extreme extent? Nature. There was nothing natural here. As her mind wrapped around the shock of seeing the place, Farea realized one thing: she was in grave danger here, if she remained.. Turning around another corner, Farea hoped to see some sort of escape route…

"Ah, there you are!" cried a Hylian guard, leveling his spear at Farea. "We can't have you telling all your friends about this, can we?"

Farea's eyes were furious and intense. "What do you think you are doing?! Destroying the forest, making these… giant, metal cans! And for what?!"

She took several impudent steps toward the retreating guard. Surprise appeared across his face, but he then regained his composure. "Oh no, you don't! You're coming with us!"

"Hold it!" shouted Saria from behind. "Don't you lay a hand on her, or I'll—"

"Or you'll what?" The guard lunged at Farea, who darted backward—away from the attack. "Stop moving, you rat!" he roared at Farea.

"Or I'll do this," asserted Saria. With a single gesture, she called up an orb of green light, which hovered above her hand. The magical energy was released upon her next forward motion—that was aimed right at the soldier's legs. The orb smacked the soldier, but that was not important; upon impact, thick vines burst into existence, causing the Hylian to stumble to his knees as it enveloped his legs.

"Let me talk to Captain Belarn—now," Saria ordered. "Or those vines will get big—fast."

"I can't," choked out the guard, his voice strained. "Couple months ago… He wanted to leave and defy the king. He got taken in for treason against the crown. Doesn't matter. Lord Turul was gonna take over anyway, so he did, but he always stays up in The Cloudscraper," the soldier motioned weakly to the tower, "anyways. You can't just go up and—ow!" At Saria's command, a jagged thorn punctured his skin and he clutched his foot in pain. "Alright!" gave in the soldier. "I'll take you to him!"

"No need, Private Colin," came a dark, cynical tone. "I'm here already." Paying no heed to his soldier who lay at his feet, Turul stepped over the body and bowed elegantly with a sweeping gesture—yet there was no charm about this cloaked and black-haired man, nothing but pure malice. A slender and jagged blade hung from his belt, hidden beneath his cloak, but ready to be drawn at the notion of combat. Lord Turul, as he bowed, intoned, "How may I help you? Lord Turul, at your service."

"I order you to take these horrific machines of war out of these lands, never to return," demanded Saria.

"Is that all? I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving us any more trees?" ridiculed Turul. "We could use the lumber…"

"Use your own lumber!" shouted Farea suddenly from the side, lunging at Turul. The man twisted his blue cloak in a swift motion, dodging the failed attack easily. Turul drew his sword and seized Farea, placing the sharp edge against the Kokiri's neck. Farea gasped as she felt the surprisingly cold metal touch her skin, sucking away all the warmth in her body.

"I never thought the children of the forest would be so violent," chided Turul, voice dripping with mock surprise. "I suppose you are ready to resist—to fight back against what you think is 'tyranny', correct?" He turned to Saria, who did not reply, instead giving Turul an overpowering look of hatred. "I'm here to tell you: there is no point of resisting. There is no chance of surviving the might of technology. If you fight, all of you will die. Now, tell me again what you want to do?" Turul twirled his fingers toward Saria, as if giving her the chance to speak.

Saria glanced anxiously at Farea and the sword that lay almost casually across her neck. Saria understood the threat clearly: if you wish to fight, then Farea will die within seconds. She knew that though the Kokiri are immortal and cannot age, they are still susceptible to flesh wounds and bleeding to death—among other things. Saria bit her lip nervously. Life would never be the same if she gave in—but if she did not give in, Farea would die at the hands of this cold-blooded murderer. Saria looked to Farea's eyes—in which she could see fiery anger and the will to resist. Farea seemed to be saying, "Don't give up!" At last, the Sage of _Forest__ made her choice. Finally, Saria spoke quietly and with controlled anger, "Death is a powerful threat, Lord Turul. On one hand, if we resist, we will die. Yet if we surrender, our way of life will be utterly destroyed for all time. No matter what, we will suffer horribly at your hands. And for that reason, I have decided," Saria looked back at Farea's eyes, and noted its glint of agreement, "that we will resist against your so-called rule!" Saria twirled her arms in a complicated spell and blasted a beam of green energy at Turul._

Simultaneously, Farea suddenly began to struggle—arms waving and legs kicking. A blow was landed on Turul's stomach and he doubled over in pain, as Farea rolled away from him. The energy blast then immediately collided into him—before he could make a move with his sword—knocking him against a metal wall that was crushed by his weight. Turul roared in anger at the attack and reached for his blade. With astonishing speed, he leapt forward in a fury to strike out at Farea…

Time seemed to slow to a crawl at that precise instant and Turul himself appeared to be frozen in the air… Saria, eyes closed in silent concentration, produced a beautifully carved instrument—an ocarina—and began to play a sweet, ancient melody. Green lights of energy flickered into being around her as the Minuet of _Forest__ summoned up the ethereal power of the forest. At last, as the song faded away into the wind, Saria grabbed Farea around the waist and light enveloped them—carried them away. Time resumed its course and Turul crashed upon the ground, where seconds earlier his foe had been standing. He turned to the sky and watched a green orb twirl away into the distance… Turul's eyes widened and he let out a great roar of rage…_

The first small skirmishes occurred upon the northern borders of the forest. Armed groups of spearmen had charged straight into the forest, hoping to skewer some Kokiri. Their plan failed horribly as the Kokiri took refuge among the trees and the woods that they knew so well. Small stones, skilled traps, and a general ability to use the forest to an advantage aided the Kokiri well in their first battles. Worn down by many blows and events in the forest, the soldiers were forced to retreat in their small, weak groups. Somehow Turul seemed to sorely underestimate the power of his enemy…

Afterwards, a new tactic was quickly employed. Instead of using force to attack the children of the forest, the Hylians would use the cover of darkness and the shadows of night to remove the element that gave the Kokiri such an advantage: the trees themselves. Each night, several new trees were destroyed, removing the Hylians' terrain disadvantage while simultaneously granting them additional resources. This worked for a time, but before long, the Kokiri caught on to this plan and created a system of sentries who would defend the borders of their land from night-time attacks, as well as during the day. The ability to adapt to whatever was thrown at them proved extremely valuable to the Kokiri.

Farea grinned with satisfaction as she fired a large rock at a soldier's exposed neck. He turned around in annoyance, scanning the trees for the one that had fired the projectile, but Farea had already leapt into the branches of another tree. Night had arrived and another _midnight__ tree-raid was underway—and failing miserably. Kokiri leapt from tree to tree, bombarding the Hylians with whatever they could get their hands on. And still, the Hylians were too slow to catch sight of any of the children, who used their green tunics and the continuously shifting blanket of leaves overhead._

Farea turned to meet the eyes of another Kokiri, who perched on a branch opposite hers. He raised a single, long tube to his lips and nodded to Farea, who produced one of her own. A blowgun. Farea placed a dart into her tube and situated it into her mouth. Aiming the weapon at a soldier's leg, she blew into the tube as silently as she could, yet with as much strength as she could muster. A smile spread across her face when the soldier slapped his leg as if being stung by a mosquito. Another Hylian did the same once Farea's comrade fired his own weapon. Within seconds, the poison had done its work and the soldiers both collapsed to the ground…

Farea had never really felt such thrill before as she felt on that day in which she defeated many soldiers. Her anger was truly useful during such times as she had learned to channel it toward the enemy—and thus providing her with the purpose to continue on. Perhaps then, she did not realize the enormity of the force they were facing. Little did she know that the Hylians had recently crushed much of the mighty Goron tribe or nearly annihilated the entirely of the _Zora_ _Kingdom__. A much greater force then Farea ever realized… at least not until the day when the stakes moved to a higher level than ever before…_

Saria paced anxiously across the woven mat that lay across her hut. Again and again, she turned to walk briefly in the other direction as she contemplated the recent events in _Kokiri_ _Forest__. Sure, the Kokiri could fight off small bands of Hylians using slingshots and rocks, but what would they do when entire armies of Hylians charged in with their superior metal swords and bows? Using the guerilla-type tactics that Kokiri commonly used in the forest would no longer be such an option. And Saria knew this. She knew that the Kokiri could not face the Hylians head on in battles of massive scale. Saria sighed and tried to clear her mind, listening to the sound of crickets from outside. Night had fallen and throughout the forest there was a tense silence as the children hoped that no attack would come._

"Saria?" asked Farea, leaning on the door frame. "Can I ask you something?"

Saria nodded absently. "Hmm? What is it?"

"Do you think the Hylians will ever leave? We've been fighting them forever and there's more of 'em waiting down in that pit! We have to do something big to get them to go away forever!" Farea's voice rose in excitement and she added, "I think it would be better than just sitting here and waiting for them."

Saria nodded in agreement, realizing that Farea had put into words Saria's concerns, albeit in a more optimistic manner. "What else can we do, Farea? Entire armies of them… We cannot combat that many! Our tribe is merely equipped to battle small groups of them, maybe a few dozens, but not hundreds!" 

_"Well, I dunno!" cried Farea. "Maybe we should— Hold on, what's all that commotion out there?" The girls turned to look outside, where loud and raucous shouting could be heard. "What's going on?"_

A Kokiri boy hurried breathlessly into Saria's hut. "Saria!" he cried. "There are a lot of them coming! More than we ever had before! Like, thousands! We couldn't fight 'em off!"

"What's that?" Saria gestured to a thick red liquid dripping from the boy's hand. "Is that… blood? Sit down; I'll treat your injury…!" Saria began to search her hut for medicine, but the boy shook his head.

"No need to worry about that!" insisted the Kokiri. "We need a plan—now! They're cutting down more and more trees right now!"

Farea winced suddenly, as a ripple of energy slammed through the hut. It was very true; the trees were already dying. "How long do we have before they get here?" she demanded. The other kid looked unsure at the answer to her question. "Tell me!"

"I dunno, couple hours?" he suggested.

"Tell us, don't ask us!!" Farea cried in frustration. "Okay, have everyone get their slingshots! Every weapon we have, use it!" The boy nodded, and quickly departed from the hut to deliver his message.

"Besides that… Saria, we need another plan." Farea's tone was serious and grim, mixed in with some panic. "What do we have?"

"I have my magic. But it will not be sufficient, especially with so soldiers," Saria muttered. "I'll ask the Great Deku Tree for additional aid. He could wield some of his magic to protect us, but other than that…I do not know," she concluded honestly. "Go join the others, Farea," she added softly. "And…good luck."

"Good luck," Farea replied in kind. She was silent for a moment as she chose her next words. Finally, she murmured solemnly, "You know, this day might be—"

"I know. The last day of _Kokiri_ _Forest__." Saria's face was desperate and filled with anguish at the thought of that. "But if we are to battle, we must not dwell on thoughts such as that. Let us focus on surviving this now." Saria nodded firmly and dashed out of the hut. Farea sighed, and left the hut as well, snatching up her slingshot from the ground. She slid her hand down to her belt and confirmed that her blowgun and knife remained where they were supposed to. She knew the dangers of misplacing a weapon in battle, though it had never truly happened to her._

As Farea dashed off to join the band of Kokiri, she cleared her mind and focused on the task at hand. The thrill and surge of battle had not yet arrived, only the painful and tense calm before the storm. A deadly storm of the outside world catching up to their utopian forest, in the worst way possible. The sky emulated her emotions, gathering up gray clouds to unleash a torrent. Lightning flashed through the air and thunder rumbled toward them. This was it. At that thought, Farea tightened the grip on her slingshot. At Mido's call, the group of children advanced into the forest to defend their way of life. Farea knew in her mind this was a final, desperate dice roll in the game called "survival of the fittest". The only problem was that their opponent was cheating…

Turul lifted his face to the black sky and took a deep breath, feeling the wind rippling his dark cloak in sinister waves. Face obscured by shadows, Turul calmly fingered his sword with heavy gauntlets, admiring its twisted beauty and fatal edge. The Duskblade was an extremely powerful weapon, Turul knew—for it had been forged by the dark master smith serving a single lord with single name, charged with ancient, ominous power --Meldarus. King Daar and General Link had not trusted it to him lightly—as they knew its great ability to cause suffering to those of good heart.

Suddenly, Turul clenched his fists around his sword. How had those accursed children escaped the Duskblade so easily!? Turul nearly roared in anger at the thought of his failure, but calmed himself, remembering his grim mission: to destroy the stronghold of the forest once and for all. He smiled another of his unsettling smiles and muttered to himself, "At last, my true master will have achieved another of his goals." Ah, his master. King Daar was weak; a fool, to be put simply. Link? Link was nothing more than a feeble servant of a weak king. What right did he have to order Turul around? Still, Turul knew that they too would eventually serve his master's purposes. All these soldiers would too, though they knew not their part in his deadly plans.

Lightning cut through the sky in a jagged arc and Turul turned to the sky once more, to hear the enormous booming call of the thunder that soon followed its swifter brother. Again, a streak of light sliced through a cloud and was accompanied by a blast of noise. Turul watched and listened meticulously to the pattern of thunder and lightning, as if searching for a specific combination…There! A stream of lightning flashed for an instant, revealing an ancient insignia among the black clouds. Turul created a quick gesture against his chest as if to call upon its power and then turned to face his army. At last, the message from his master had arrived. It was time…

His eyes scanned the ranks of his massive army, not as a caring general looking out for the needs of his men, but rather as a cruel overlord searching for any careless blunder that would destroy his plans. Turul raised an arm and called to them, "It is time! We must crush this resistance! MARCH!" With this final order, Turul turned away from his army and drew The Duskblade in a single fluid blur. As the lord stepped forward, his men followed in perfect time with his steps. Turul grinned crookedly with pleasure; the greatest army the world had ever seen had at last arrived…and it was under his control. Turul formed the gesture once more as if to notify his master of his near success. Meldarus would be very pleased.

Farea, squinting into the darkness, scanned the trees for any sign of the enemy's approach. No sound could be heard, so she nimbly leaped up onto a nearby branch to report her observations. "No one there, Mido. Where are they?"

"I don't know," admitted the older Kokiri. "I'm not real familiar with how these guys do things. Saria is better with stuff like that, you know, 'cause of Link, right? I guess we gotta wait for 'em," he concluded uncertainly.

"I think so too," agreed Farea. "From what I've heard, there are lots of them. If we go after them, we'll end up losing. So, I think we should create an ambush instead of going for an all-out attack. What do you think?" Farea turned to the older boy.

"I—Hey, how'd did you get so good at this stuff?" Mido asked suddenly. "You haven't been around that long—no offense—but you might be better at this strategy stuff than me!"

Farea gasped in mock horror. "Oh no! The great Mido has been dethroned!" Mido grinned. The two shared a quick laugh to relieve the tension that was building up, but afterwards resumed their battle preparations.

"Hey, what's Saria doing?" Mido inquired. "She could be a big help here, since she's a sage and all that."

"She's asking the Deku Tree for help, Mido," Farea replied. "That way we can—hold on, I think I hear something!" Farea quickly cupped a hand around her ears in time to hear a great rumbling noise rush through the clearing, immediately followed by a slightly louder but otherwise identical noise. Farea, without delay, began to search around the clearing for the source of the sound, which she suspected to be the heavy, thumping boots of the Hylians. Still, there was no sign of the Hylians besides the noise…

Then, a flicker of movement caught Farea's eye along the edge of the clearing and she silently pointed at it. Suddenly, an entire rank of Hylian soldiers burst into view, followed by another. As new ranks emerged from the darkness to complete the army, the sound of the soldiers marching grew ever louder, each foot in tune with the man standing at the army's head, sword drawn. Farea shivered as she felt the familiar cold darkness radiate from the Duskblade—this time more deadly than before—filling her heart with sudden anxiety and apprehension. Lord Turul himself had finally come to strike at the heart of the forest. Farea glared at the cloaked figure, willing her anger to rise to the surface. Her focusing struggled against the horrid debilitating effects of the Duskblade, but at last her fury overrode the power of the sword and suddenly she was ready for battle.

"Get them!" whispered Mido. His own slingshot was at the ready and he quickly fired a spiked rock at Turul. The valiant attack failed, however, as Turul was able to sweep his sword through the air and destroy the projectile. The battle had begun.

The first shot had been fired and—as in many battles throughout history—once that occurred, more suddenly followed. Dozens of precisely aimed rocks flew through the air and took out several soldiers who hadn't the sense to protect themselves against them. Immediately following this barrage, many Kokiri produced their blowpipes and released a wave of poisoned darts at the enemy, hoping to disable several of them before the main segment of the battle had arrived.

The Kokiri seemed to be winning the first part of the battle, but the Hylians were also skilled fighters. The archers readied their bows and fired up into the canopy, attempting to catch any Kokiri off-guard. Some arrows were easily dodged, but others struck some children, sending them plummeting to the forest floor, where they were finished off with sharp swords or pointed spears. Farea grimaced at the horrific sight and turned away. No Kokiri had yet died against the Hylians—until now. The intense reality of it all came hard upon Farea and the other Kokiri and they began to despair at the loss of their friends.

As if appealing to their prayers, the power of the forest suddenly turned against the Hylians. A perfect circle of saplings—quickly maturing into great pillars—appeared around the army, entrapping them. Even Turul paused, as if mildly amused. Then, on cue, Saria's voice called out, "Continue the battle! The Great Deku Tree has agreed to aid us with his powers of the forest!" Saria, perched on a branch like the other Kokiri, raised her arms and muttered several ancient words. A huge tree burst into existence right in the center of the circle, catching several soldiers off-guard and propelling others into the night sky.

The battle then continued, almost heading in the favor of the children of the forest. Saria, with her sagely powers, aided greatly in the battle, summoning deadly animals to the fight and turning the plants against the men trampling them beneath heavily booted feet. The Great Deku Tree perhaps did not aid so directly as Saria; instead, he gifted the Kokiri with additional vitality and agility and enhanced their combat abilities. From the trees, the Kokiri struck with their poison darts and their slingshots, catching soldiers unaware, while others began to take to the ground, fighting either hand-to-hand or using what few swords and shields they had to combat the weapons of the enemy. The battle dragged on, until Farea realized that going after the soldiers would not do…

"Everyone! Get Lord Turul first!" Farea directed a rock toward the cloaked man, but he easily deflected it with a twirl of the Duskblade. Saria drew a quick rune in the air, summoning up a small glowing seed. With a flick of her fingers, the Sage of _Forest__ threw the plant grenade at Turul's feet, where it erupted into a mass of leaves, vines, and thorns. Turul was caught up in the maze of plants, but a few sweeps of the Duskblade caused the magical plant to instantly wilt. A brave Kokiri child leaped at his back at that moment, dagger raised, but Turul countered with a quick stabbing motion of his blade, killing the valiant charger._

Saria tried again with the seeds, hoping that several of them might be strong enough to completely immobilize the man. Again, the plants wilted and Turul escaped. Saria muttered, "Great Deku Tree, grant me your power." Then, she allowed his presence to touch her mind, as he allowed much of his energy to flow to Saria. Finally, Saria raised her arms and spoke a long, complicated spell that flowed with archaic, wild energy. The released life energy was channeled into the trees and instantly, spikes shot from their sides, skewering many soldiers through the chest. The barbs made no move to strike at the Kokiri, only the Hylians that ventured too closely. The battle seemed to be almost won.

Turul watched as his men fell to the powers of the forest. This had gone on far longer than he had hoped, thanks to the intervention of the Great Deku Tree and the Sage of _Forest__. At this rate, the pathetic soldiers would never get anything done. Turul knew that his time to truly take charge had come. At last, he roared, "ENOUGH! This resistance cannot be allowed to remain! Archers, ready your bows!" His orders were immediately followed and the bowmen looked around uncertainly, unsure of where to fire. "Aim at the trees," ordered Turul. Confusion filled the men, but they again obeyed, hoping to see Turul's plan. Turul then snapped his fingers and the arrows burst into flame, filling the dark clearing with light._

The archers marveled at Turul's control of magic and now understood his plan. "Fire!" commanded Turul. Streaks of blazing fire shot through the air, setting many of the trees on fire. The arrows were incinerated, but the fire remained upon the great trees, quickly spreading to the underbrush. Uncontrolled fires had occurred before in the forest, but this time, there was no time to gather up buckets of water from the river. A battle was still raging, but now, the Hylians had the upper hand.

Turul grinned malevolently. There was no need to continue the battle, he noted. The enchanted flames would easily finish off the heart of the forest. Still, his master enjoyed a good battle, otherwise it would all have been over long ago. "Let the fire handle the rest," he called out. "Return to base!" His orders were immediately followed.

"No! No!" cried Farea in horror at the flames. "They are getting away!" She glanced around for anything that would help them, but there was nothing. The soldiers vanished into the night. The fires crackled menacingly, overshadowing the booms of thunder from above. Farea suddenly felt a creaking beneath her feet and realized that her tree branch had been weakened by a surge of fire. Farea leaped to the ground and looked around at the confusion.

"Retreat!" ordered Saria at last, realizing that there was no hope in winning the fight. "The battle is over," she added solemnly. She turned and jumped from her tree, following the remaining Kokiri children, except Farea.

"No!" shouted Farea with a surge of anger. Everything had gone wrong. The soldiers had come to destroy everything and succeeded. Farea felt hot tears drip down her face and she ran out into the inferno. Nothing mattered anymore. Farea continued to run, faster and faster. Everything in her world was going to be gone, so what was the point? Anguish, confusion, and exhaustion at last overtook her and she fell to the ground, enveloped in darkness. As she did, a single thought rose to the surface. Would the Great Deku Tree survive this?

Farea felt familiar anger course through her blood again as she thought of these final events, but she knew it would have no help in shielding the Great Deku Tree, so she reluctantly forced it down. The flames drew ever nearer and she realized the desperation of the entire situation. The Great Deku Tree was silent as well, stoic in the face of his own death. Father and child of the forest both sat together in the clearing, awaiting their respective dooms. They seemed almost calm, but inside, Farea's emotions continued to churn into a massive maelstrom. There had to be something! Anything! Farea's resourceful and desperate nature commanded her to search for a solution, but the rest of her felt tired; and besides, there was nothing anyone could do.

Still, Farea knew better. She knew what trying nothing would do to her in the afterlife; her conscience would forever torture her with the single fact that she did not go down fighting. Determined, she stood and raised her arms to the grayed heavens and called out. To whom, she did not know. Perhaps she directed her pleas to any celestial being—the goddesses, most likely—who could respond. And so, she cried out, voice choked with desperation, "Someone! Anyone! Help me!" The only response was a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.

She did not know how long she continued her pleading. An eternity? A few minutes? For that time, the crackling of fire and her desperate calls were all that filled her ears. Suddenly, she was startled to hear a soothing voice fill her mind, whispering, "_O child of Farore, accept the Gift of Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom…_"

Farea felt a mysterious, cool power flow into her body, relieving her briefly of all her tensions and negative emotions. Such a relief this was that she felt darkness—strangely silent and comfortable darkness—overtake her once more. The soothing energy was too much to resist and Farea fainted. The last noise she heard before she collapsed was a combination of the rhythmic pattering of rain being expelled from the heavens and the hissing of the flames as they were extinguished…


	5. Chapter 5 Until Death

Author's note: As you can see, this chapter was also written by my friend. I'm still used to calling him OHYMGASHA!, so that's who I'm giving credit to for this chapter. Again, thanks Ohmi!**_  
_**

**_Chapter 5_**  
**_Until Death  
_**By OHMYGASHA!

A ripple of emotion ran through her heart. Something terrible had happened; she could feel it deep in her soul. She knew that the Goddesses were intervening as much as they could, but she could feel an even darker force growing—something more sinister than Hyrule had ever seen.

Sitting in the dank cell, the beautiful woman clutched the necklace that hung around her small neck. She seemed to glow in the darkness, her pale skin catching the light from the moon that filtered in through the window.

She turned her head away from the window and seemed to glide toward the bars of her prison. She ran a delicate hand over the grimy metal, and saw a faint trace of magic on the bars. Instantly, she recognized it as a sealing charm, designed to keep her in.

The hideous guards beside her cell turned their grotesque, flat heads toward her and snarled. Foul-smelling liquid dripped from their maws, revealing rotting teeth. She wrinkled her nose at this and backed away, returning to her seat next to the window.

_Please_, she begged. _You must put a stop to this_.

She turned her head up to the darkening skies of Hyrule, and silently fell into a prayer. The fate of her homeland was in the hands of a tortured soul…she could only hope that he would overcome his turmoil.

Darfide felt a surge of power rush through him after the voice spoke. The power was cool and gentle, yet it gave Darfide strength and courage.

Time caught up with itself, and the large hammer continued to swing down towards the leader of the Goron resistance. Darfide narrowed his eyes and stepped out of the way of the hammer—its blunt end became lodged in the hard earth, and despite the large soldier's attempts, he was not able to pry it from the ground.

Darfide's fellow Gorons stared, bewildered at their leader. Just a moment ago, Darfide was on the ground, preparing for the blow of the hammer; now he was standing upright, facing the entire army before them.

A strong gale of wind came out of nowhere and hit the soldiers. Their heavy armor held them down for only a moment before the surge of wind picked up and threw them from the ledge of the mountain. Cries of terror erupted from the Hylian army, and many tried to flee, only to meet the same fate as the others.

The leader of the Hylian army took a small step back, staring at Darfide and the Gorons. Darfide glared at him, and a massive gust of wind slammed into the leader's chest, knocking him over.

Darfide walked over to the trembling soldier, wrenching the hammer from the ground. The leader eyed the hammer, fearing the worst—he remembered tales of how vicious the Gorons could be. He raised his arms to shield his face, but Darfide remained still.

Pointing a trunk of an arm towards the path that led down the mountain, Darfide spoke to the terrified soldier, who looked quite pathetic as he whimpered ceaselessly.

"Go." Darfide boomed. "Tell the Traitor King that the Goron resistance is alive, and that the Hylian Army has been overturned. Tell him that we will not give up so easily."

The leader hesitated as he rose from the dirt. However, the wind picked up menacingly, causing him to hurry back down the path. Slowly, Darfide turned to his own army. It was clear that something had changed about him, but none of the Gorons could tell what it was.

Darfide raised the hammer high into the air, letting out a triumphant howl. The other Gorons slowly chimed in, their cries echoing through the mountains. They had won the battle, but the call of war had not yet been sounded.

However, Darfide felt that he would be ready when that time came. Shouldering the large hammer, he signaled to his troops to help him break the boulder concealing the cave.

King Daar sat in his brightly lit throne room, a dark smile playing on his sunken, sallow face. Everything was going according to plan. Soon, all of Hyrule would fall under his hand, and he could bring Meldarus back into power.

Rising from his shining gold throne, Daar headed for a heavily locked door behind the throne. With a wave of his hand, all of the locks and enchantments fell away. The heavy wooden door swung open on its own, allowing Daar to glide through it into the dark passageway ahead.

The door silently shut behind Daar, and suddenly, the darkness was absolute. With a flick of his wrist, torches sprung to life along the narrow hall, bringing attention to the dark crimson smears across the ancient stone walls.

King Daar ignored the atmosphere of despair that clung to the hallway like a cobweb, walking deeper and deeper into the belly of the dungeon. After what seemed like an hour, the hallway began to slope downwards, leading Daar into a wide room.

Large shadow creatures turned their heads to Daar. For a moment, they seemed to analyze his scrawny frame, but soon they backed away into the corner of the room in a show of respect to the King. A grave grin grew on his face as he saw his prisoner.

Behind heavy iron bars sat a beautiful, silent woman. Daar took a step towards her, his eyes glowing in the torchlight. The woman cast a look full of disgust at Daar.

"Oh, come now," King Daar cooed. "Is that any way to greet your _husband_?" Raising his arm, allowing his black sleeve to fall back, Daar revealed a brilliantly glimmering gold bracelet that wrapped around his wrist.

The woman made a small movement to hide her matching bracelet behind her. No matter how hard she tried, the bracelet would not come off.

"Until death separates us," King Daar recited, an evil joy coursing through his veins.

"Hyrule shall not falter." the woman whispered fiercely. King Daar laughed, and the deformed guards joined in with a strangled hissing.

"Hyrule has already forgotten about you," Daar revealed his sharp teeth. "They have already given up on their fallen ruler. And who wouldn't? You met with such an untimely end."

The woman rose from the back of the cell and approached the bars. Even in her rage, her face was measured and even.

"Soon, the truth will come out," the woman declared. King Daar reached through the iron bars and ran a hand through her brown hair. Recoiling from his touch, she retreated back to the window.

"I doubt that," King Daar smiled and turned on his heel. With a snap of his fingers, the creatures returned to their posts beside the defiant woman's cell.

"It is time to let your subjects know," King Daar's voice echoed from the hallway. "It is time to inform them of the passing of their ruler, Queen Zelda…"

In her cell, Zelda barely let her anger show. Turning her face towards the window, she felt, for the first time in ages, that all was bleak.


	6. Chapter 6 Prejudice and Prophecy

**_Chapter 6_**_  
**Prejudice and Prophecy**_

The bloodiest day of Hyrule's history… Was it perhaps that day? To some, this day would be a day of friendship, when the bonds of prejudice begin to break down and the races rally together in the face of evil. To others, the battles and bloodshed of that day would make it a dark day—a black mark on the records of Hyrule's history.

Heat sweltered around his body as he slowly walked forward, draped in a massive black cloak, several times his size. His mind itched to fire a signal off to his hand and quickly throw off his hot disguise to feel the wind on his skin—even if it was only the hot and horribly dusty desert wind. But it was not yet time to reveal his true identity to the people around him.

The market sounds bombarded his sharp ears and he could hear the Gerudo women bartering various desert goods at the myriad of shops and stalls around him. He almost smiled, seeing people with enough luck to go about their daily life without fear of war's shadow falling upon them. Such things seemed impossible in such a time, yet he was glad for the Gerudo. Then, his eyes fell upon two warriors in the midst of an intense practice battle, their blades swirling and striking together in a beautiful dance. He smiled a grim smile; at least the Gerudo would be ready when the war moved to invade their land.

He glanced up at his destination, the Gerudo palace that loomed over the town, its magnificence drowning out the muddy bricks streets and desert stone houses. From here, he could clearly make out the massive golden dome of the palace. In the intense heat of the sun, the small distance between himself and the palace seemed as if it would take all of eternity to traverse. He sighed and continued to walk forward, even as sweat glistened down his body and soaking his clothes.

This mission involved such physical comfort; was the possible end result worth such troubles? The man was forced to remind himself the great need the required his long journey. His people. The war. Recent events matched signs that the Prophecy would soon come true…

It was possible that the entire history of his race would be wiped out if it did not occur like predicted long ago… Still, his determination was already wearing thin. Perhaps things would be better once he was permitted to remove his cloak. With the thought that he would be able to remove his cloak once he entered the palace in mind, he began to step forward with a quicker pace.

All at once, the entire image of the palace revealed itself before him, un-obscured by the dirty sprawl of the desert town. The golden dome appeared as if a enormous mirror, reflecting the scorching heat of the sun down upon the town, as if to remind the people of the harsh and deadly desert in which they all lived. White marble lined the foundation of the structure and followed the golden patterns up along the side of the palace. The man then realized how humble Hyrule Castle was to this glorious symbol of desert power. Stepping forward, up the innumerable marble steps, the man calmly halted in front the two Gerudo guards, who scrutinized him carefully.

"State your business!" one of the guards demanded upon his arrival. She fingered her spear lightly as if preparing for an attack.

The man seemed to notice this and raised his arms in non-threatening manner. "Have no fear," he intoned in his deep and authoritative voice. "I am not here to advocate battle against your nation. I am only an ambassador from a distant land, who wishes to speak directly to your great leader, Nibara!"

"If this is so… why do you wear such a cloak as if to hide your identity?" asked the second guard rather suspiciously. "I highly doubt you are a mere ambassador."

The man was silent for a moment, remembering how vital it was to hide his true identity until he at last met with Nibara. It would not help to allow minor guards to learn his identity for he might never be allowed to meet with any leader at all! With this in mind, he answered simply, "I wish to speak with Nibara directly. That is all."

The first guard did not quite agree with this. "You are a man," she explained bluntly. "I will allow you to enter our palace… But be warned! Treachery will not be tolerated. That is all!"

The man nodded as if to agree. He meant no treachery, of course. Still, he had to be on his guard. The Gerudo were known to be rather unpredictable in terms of diplomacy. As the elegant golden doors swung gently open, he stepped forward into the cool air of the palace…

Queen Nibara swung her dual blades, sending them flying in an arc toward Teron's lightly armored legs. The other women reacted quickly and leapt over the blades. In a smooth motion, Nibara's opponent slashed her single long sword in an overhead strike. Nibara jumped backward and raised her swords in a cross that blocked Teron's attack and catching the opposing blade. Then, the Gerudo leader whipped her blades together with a flicking motion, sending the other sword flying off and sending Teron sprawling to the hard stone floor of the palace. At last, the training match had come to a decisive end, as Nibara pointed her blades at her opponent's neck

"Nibara, you've gotten much better!" complimented Teron cheerily, still on the ground. "Good job!" she cried, leaping to her feet. Nibara's young advisor and friend stepped lightly across the training ground to retrieve her blade.

"Thank you Teron." Nibara sighed in exhaustion and sheathed her swords back into their individual scabbards. She turned to a large golden hook on the wall and removed from it a golden tiara with a red jewel embedded into its center—the symbol of leadership in the Gerudo tribe—which she placed onto her head. Nibara never felt comfortable in battle when wearing such a thing, the only reason she did not wear the crown in training. Like most other Gerudo, Nibara decided to wear simple light armor that protected vital points on the body while still leaving enough open skin to allow the body to cool. While she knew that the armor was quite practical, Nibara was required to wear royal armor, which—despite her annoyance—had extra flourishes such as golden plating and inlaid jewels that gave it a grander appearance.

For a brief moment, Nibara's thoughts wandered. Abruptly, she felt a strange and mysterious presence reaching into her mind; something benevolent while simultaneously eerie. It seemed to be warning her of… something that would take place in the future. Nibara suddenly felt uneasy and cold, though adrenaline and sweat had been running down her slender frame a moment earlier. She shivered even as hot air blew through the window and turned Teron who stood beside her, watching in concern.

Teron seemed to notice the odd look of anxiety on Nibara's face as she asked, "Tell me something, Teron. Everyday, everyday I train. But, for what purpose? What enemy does the Gerudo nation have to face, out here in the hot isolation of the desert?" Nibara felt as if a terrible event would soon happen and she desperately tried to convince herself that it was not true. Was it only she who sensed that something odd was amiss?

Teron flashed a quick grin. "I don't know about you Nibara, but I train to be ready for anything," she replied confidently. "Anything that happens to us, we must be prepared to fight to survive!"

Nibara answered with a slow and unsteady nod. She wasn't quite sure exactly what they were preparing for, but she felt as if a new terrible battle would be coming soon. The Gerudo nation would soon have a new enemy; Nibara could feel that in her heart. In what shape or form that enemy would come, the Gerudo leader had no idea whatsoever. She only hoped that it would not share any resemblance with another great war of the past.

A fear suddenly striking in her mind, she turned to a map of the land that perpetually lay attached to the wall of her private quarters. A map of a land called Hyrule. In the center lay an artist's depiction of Hyrule Castle, home to the Royal Family, the great leaders of Hyrule for many centuries. From the northeast, a river rose from Zora's Domain and settled in the south in a great lake to the south, known as Lake Hylia. And to the west of that lake was the lost ancestral land of Nibara's people: Gerudo Valley.

"Teron. How long has it been?" Nibara asked suddenly, the sight of her people's homeland on the map invoking a question.

Teron was slightly puzzled by Nibara's rather vague question. "How long since… what, exactly? What are you talking about?"

"Since the war ended and our ancestors fled their homeland?" Nibara knew the answer, of course, as did all other Gerudo, but she simply had a desire to hear it once more.

Teron face became solemn and she whispered softly, "100 years, Nibara. A century to this day, our people left Gerudo Valley, ending the war."

Gerudo Valley had become almost a myth to the Gerudo people in the aftermath of the horrific Gerudo Wars. The war… that nearly destroyed the entirety of the Gerudo tribe. Nibara felt icy fear fill her blood. If an enemy was truly coming like her mysterious sense warned, would the Gerudos be entirely destroyed this time?

"Nibara, are you alright?" asked Teron, her face confused but still concerned. "What's going on?"

"N-Nothing," the queen lied. "Nothing it all." But it was something. Something huge. If history repeated itself… and if the war against the Gerudos began anew…

The Gerudo Wars were a series of deadly battles fueled by prejudice against the Gerudo race. The Gerudos always had a shaky relationship with the other people of Hyrule, but one day the prejudice and persecution escalated into that terrible war. Nibara felt a hot anger creep up to her heart to replace fear, but she thrust the emotion to the back of her mind. She knew revenge was absolutely not the best path to regain her ancestor's lands. Resorting to war would only create more tension between the races.

"You're thinking about the war, aren't you?" Teron always seemed to know what Nibara was thinking. "I know how you feel."

"Can something like that happen again?" muttered Nibara.

"I don't know, but you must remain positive," answered Teron. "Nibara, you must look forward to the future instead of to the past. The future, I think, will be better than the past."

Nibara nodded in agreement. She knew that one day her people would return to the homeland, without the former intolerance that led to the sad destruction of the great Gerudo Fortress or the infamous vandalism of the ancient Spirit Temple. That same intolerance had led to the loss of the Gerudo homeland and was what precipitated the search for a new land to call their own.

During the peak of the war, the Gerudos decided that enough was enough. In a single night, the entire tribe vanished from the sights of Hyrule. Far to the west they walked for many moons and across strange sands… until at last, an oasis presented itself to them and the Gerudo settled down to create a nation without the prejudice that had long plagued their people. At least, that was what Nibara hoped. Would the peace last?

As she pondered over these events from long ago, an uneasy thought nagged at the back of her mind. That story had been repeated and retold many times by the Gerudo people. Yet… the entire nation knew that there had been a much darker side to the story—darker even than the war that had forced them from their homeland. The side of the story that had never been told, though all knew it. Nibara felt uncomfortable, as if that side of the story would soon return to haunt her. However, she quickly shook off such thoughts for there was, just at that moment, a loud knocking on the door.

"Milady!" A messenger of a young age dashed into the room, clutching a scroll that bore the ancient insignia of the Gerudo. "I have a message for you!"

"Hey! What are you doing here?" scolded Teron, as the girl breathlessly put the scroll forward. "This is Queen Nibara's private training session! I have informed you all to never interrupt milady's training!"

"I'm very sorry, Advisor Teron! Please don't execute me!" pleaded the messenger, clearly exaggerating the possible punishment. To many who did not know her well, Advisor Teron was known as a tough lady not afraid to use force to obtain what she wanted, which tended to inspire respect—but often fear—among the people. Still, as only her closest friends knew, Nibara knew that Teron was actually quite friendly—except if you were her enemy.

As she realized the messenger was most likely new and did not understand, Teron's face lightened. The messenger relaxed when she realized there would be no punishment after all. However, Teron did say with a smile, "I only hope that you will not do it again." The messenger nodded vigorously and handed the scroll to the queen.

Nibara nodded and reached for scroll, as she grinned at Teron and told her, "Was it your intention to frighten that girl so? Perhaps you should be gentler to those employed by the palace."

Teron smiled slyly back at Nibara. "In order to serve you, I must be respected by the all people, milady," she concluded as the messenger closed the door quietly and stepped out of earshot.

"'Milady', is it?" asked Nibara, once she was sure the messenger was gone. Nibara shot Teron an annoyed glance. Though she was queen—at least until a new male was born into their tribe like so happened every 100 years—Nibara never felt like she was worthy to be any sort of leader. The term "milady" only served to irritate her each time it was directed toward her.

"Nibara, you must remember the fact that everyone is required to call you that or her Highness or something. Technically, they are prohibited to call you by your name unless they are royalty themselves!" Teron then nodded toward the scroll still in Nibara's hands and quickly changed the subject in a slightly sarcastic tone, "I believe that scroll is for you, milady." She grinned and Nibara stifled a chuckle that threatened to burst out as she began to look at the scroll.

The scroll was unrolled quickly and Nibara scanned over its contents. "It appears… as if an ambassador has arrived from a distant land. However, he has not stated where he is from. He wishes to meet with me immediately."

"Be careful, Nibara," cautioned Teron. "This seems rather suspicious. Why would this man not announce what country he is from? I believe you might want to bring extra security, or not see this man entirely."

"Nevertheless, I am required to meet with this man. If I refuse him, we may possibly gain new enemies from… whatever nation he is from," Nibara reasoned. "I must see him at once."

As the ambassador stepped slowly into the palace, he was immediately greeted by a young woman with her hair tied up into a practical ponytail and a bright smile dancing across her face. "I am Queen Nibara's advisor; my name is Teron," she greeted, introducing herself to the cloaked man. "I will show you to the ambassadorial meeting room, where Her Highness meets with foreign ambassadors. But first, for basic security reasons, I must ask your name before we continue. Your name is…?" Teron left the sentence open for the man to answer himself.

"Zorn is my name," replied the man coolly. "I must say, the speed with which you greeted me is surprising. How did you know so quickly about my arrival?"

"Information travels swiftly through a system of messengers, Ambassador Zorn," explained Teron, already striding quickly down to the door that would lead to the next room. "This is your first visit to the Gerudo Palace?"

"Indeed," replied Zorn quietly. "I never expected such… grandeur in a place like this. Golden statues and columns, all around. Walls painted such exquisite shade of red. And this is only one room. Simply amazing." As he spoke, he gestured to the specified item with a sweeping motion. Lining the walls were a series of golden columns and guarding the sides of the door were two statues of slender desert lions. The walls themselves were painted a pale yet beautiful red that is only seen in the red rocks of the desert. The room truly was astonishing for any visitor and certainly more for one who had never before observed such splendor.

"I am glad to see that you are enjoying your visit, Ambassador," Teron said. She motioned to the golden door that would lead further into the palace. "Now come this way to the meeting room…"

Nibara sat uneasily in a large chair situated at the head of the table, a pit of anxiety forming within her stomach. Why did she have the feeling that with this meeting something would go wrong? Every since the incident that afternoon when a strange entity or magical force seemed to touch her mind, Nibara had been feeling oddly anxious about everything that happened and was about to happen. Perhaps the new sense was trying to caution her?

The table which she sat at was relatively small yet ornate for its size, with many marble stones making up its structure. Light gold leaf sprawled around in strange designs across its surface. Nibara's chair was designed much the same way, leaving her back uncomfortably leaning against cold marble. Though she was sitting, she envied the squad of soldiers who stood at attention around the brightly lit room, waiting for the ambassador to arrive. Nibara itched to rise and stand with her soldiers as if she was one of them, but of course, she was not. She was a queen, meeting with an ambassador—not an ordinary Gerudo.

All at once, a loud knocking filled the room and Nibara called, "Come in!" The door was opened quickly and Teron strode in, followed by a man cloaked in a heavy robe of some sort. The ambassador seemed to glance around the room for a moment, taking in the beauty of the room. Nibara wondered if he had done that for every single room he entered.

It was true that this room was beautiful; especially since it was one of the rooms in which sunlight could enter to illuminate the architectural elements. The walls were bright and warm red, amplified by the soothing light. Two bands of gold stretched around the room, one near the ceiling and the other near the ground. Twisting and turning, both mirrored each other in a mysterious dance yet never crossed. Though this was one of the simpler rooms, the ambassador seemed to enjoy the straightforward design of the room.

"Your Highness?" asked Teron suddenly. "This is Zorn, the ambassador. So far, he has not yet stated the nation which he represents. He expressed his desire to only speak to you about this matter. Thus, I must have your," she motioned around the room to all the soldiers, "word that you will not repeat anything that you hear today in this room, for the sake of this ambassadorial meeting." All soldiers nodded quickly, understanding the importance of what they agreed to.

"Good, good," murmured Zorn. "I hope that the public will not hear of our meeting, your Highness. It is for the best." The ambassador walked quietly to a chair and sat down, making hardly any noise. Nibara turned to the man and wandered how he moved so easily and quietly.

"It is, Ambassador?" What reason could there be for the people to not know of the meeting? Nibara searched her mind for an answer, but could not find one. Except… could it be? Fear seized Nibara's heart at the thought of what nation this man was from. If he was from Hyrule… and the people knew he was meeting with the queen… panic would ensue if they believed war had returned to their country. Nibara took a deep breath and asked, "Ambassador, for what purpose do you arrive here at the Gerudo Palace today?"

"My people require assistance from the Gerudo people," explained Zorn. "Our nation is torn asunder with a terrible war."

"Why should we concern ourselves with a distant nation we have no connection with?" Nibara managed to say. But in her heart, she already knew the answer.

Zorn's reply confirmed her fears. "The Hylians are the ones behind this war, Your Highness." Several gasped filled the room, though Nibara only shifted uncomfortably at the answer. "I… understand your past with the Hylians and I realize that your nation may be the best equipped to fight the Hylians at this time."

"Tell me first Zorn," Nibara ordered, her voice strained, though she was now also slightly confused. "What nation are you from?" If he was not a Hylian, then… that meant war might not be coming after all!

But then… the answer changed everything. Ambassador Zorn lifted his hood, revealing his face, and spoke the shocking truth, "I am of the Sheikah tribe."

"I am of the Sheikah tribe," answered Zorn. He was definitely taking a chance, revealing his nation before he had entirely explained his people's need, but Zorn also understood that that was the only way trust could be created between the two nations once more.

"Sheikah!" cried Nibara, as the realization was processed in her mind. Zorn knew what she was thinking and calmly remained in his seat, even as the guards muttered amongst themselves, unsure of the next course of action. All at once, Nibara drew her twin swords and pressed them against Zorn's neck. When Zorn did not move or react, Nibara growled, "The Sheikah tribe is never welcome in the land of the Gerudos! Go home to your Hylian masters at once!" she commanded.

"Hylian masters? I thought you heard what I said earlier, Your Highness," explained Zorn, attempting to keep his composure, even as his life was threatened. His battle worn face did not show the Gerudos that beneath this façade, his heart was heavily pounding and anxiety was beginning to creep into his mind. "Remember? I explained earlier that my nation was under attack by the Hylians. I highly doubt we would work with those that attack our people, though we may have done so many years ago."

"You lie, again!" Nibara applied additional pressure upon the Sheikah's neck and a single drop of blood dripped onto the white marble, tainting it with the dark red liquid. "It was the Sheikah tribe that twisted the information about Ganondorf's attacks! If not for their manipulation and dark ways, then the Gerudo would still have a homeland to call their own!" That was a valid response, showing reason not to trust the Sheikah tribe. When Ganondorf attacked Hyrule of his own accord, it was the Sheikah who used the perfect opportunity to fight back against the Gerudos, even those with no affiliation to the King of Evil.

Zorn lowered his head in apology and shame. "I am sorry. That is indeed true; however, I only wished to put our differences aside and ask the Gerudo tribe for aid just like the Prophecy states—"

Nibara interrupted him, "Aid? Prophecy?" She chuckled dryly. "I doubt that. Always, the people of Hyrule have discriminated against our people. Why would the Sheikah be any different? Why should you ask us for help, when you have only harmed us in the past?!" demanded the queen.

Zorn took a deep breath. This conversation had been going badly already and was threatening to turn into a full-blown battle between the two of them. Calm on the outside, yet afraid on the inside of what would happen next, Zorn again tried to explain, "Your Highness. There is no one else for us to turn to, in this time of need. That is why."

Nibara felt confusion ripple through her mind as Zorn attempted to explain the Sheikah predicament. It seemed as if everything was already rolling out of control. "Our people," began Zorn, "have always served the Hylians as messengers, warriors, and spies. One day, the new king ordered us to do something that we could not be obliged to do. Fight against the other nations of the land: the Zora tribe, the Goron tribe, and the Kokiri tribe of the forest."

"Why not?" Nibara asked, feeling anger rise to the surface as the full dark history of the Gerudo Wars nagged at her mind. "The Sheikah did it in the past!" she shouted. "Against our people! Yet again, I have no reason to trust you."

"When we refused," continued Zorn, ignoring the question, "the Hylians turned against us, slaughtering our people and burning our villages. So too have they done so to the other nations of the land. The Gerudo are the only power large enough to aid us now. I beg of you," said Zorn, emotion now showing on his desperate face, "your Highness, to provide troops to aid the rebellion in the land of Hyrule. You are our last hope, now. You too must know of the Great Prophecy! On the day that the three lights of the goddesses appear, that day is when the races ally themselves against a common enemy."

"Then it is not this day! Such lights have not appeared! The Sheikah are the sworn enemies of our tribe," muttered Nibara, anger seething through her words. "There will never be an alliance between our people, no matter what the Great Prophecy says! The Sheikah tribe is merely a rabble of traitors, dogs, and murderers! And that's all they will ever be. In fact, I believe they deserve whatever fate befalls them in this 'war'."

Desperate sadness now replaced by clear and overpowering anger, Zorn replied, "Is that so? I assumed that a nation discriminated against in the past would not have such prejudice against other peoples. I was obviously mistaken! The Gerudo has always been reclusive and prejudiced against outsiders! I was ultimately wrong to come here, then. Good-bye, your Highness!"

Zorn snatched Nibara's swords with a sudden movement, thrusting them aside with his thick protective gloves. Tossing aside his cloak with a swift spreading of his arms, the Sheikah leapt toward the window. As he did so, he briefly observed Nibara give a battle cry and launch herself toward her opponent, swords at the ready. Instinctively, Zorn flicked his fingers and fired several small projectiles—darts—at his foe.

Nibara knew what was coming. She immediately identified the move as the traditional dart attack of the Sheikah and twisted her blades into the familiar cross shape. The darts zoomed through the air as mere blurs that were almost invisible to the naked eye, yet Nibara's blade was true and the handful of darts embedded themselves harmlessly in the metals of the swords.

Nibara watched as Zorn readied himself to leap out the window to the city below. Instantly, she gave an order to her soldiers, "Attack! Stop him from escaping!" A resourceful warrior quickly nodded and tossed her spear directly at Zorn's slim figure. But just then, a burst of smoke enveloped Zorn and the spear… passed straight through the cloud, its target missed.

Zorn felt the familiar tingle of the teleportation magic fill his being and disorienting fading of vision. He blinked and he suddenly stood on the other end of the room, near the door. The Sheikah watched as the Gerudo stared at the smoke, confused by the spell. However, even as Zorn began to quietly open the door, Queen Nibara seemed to realize what had just occurred. "There!" she cried, pointing at Zorn and simultaneously slashing her swords in his direction.

Zorn evaded the attack with a swift duck and responded with a flick of his wrist. A long metal whip seemed to materialize in his hands already flying toward his foe and wrapping around her legs. Nibara gave a gasp as the sharp spurs of the chain punctured her skin and stumbled onto the ground. Zorn gave a swift tug and spun the queen around on the ground. Then, the Gerudo began to retaliate and swung her twin swords angrily at her enemy.

Nibara, still disoriented by the spinning motion, slashed her swords at Zorn, only to be blocked by a thick glove. Still, the movement distracted Zorn, allowing her to pull the chains off of her legs and leap to her feet. By this time, the guards had also added themselves to the brawl. Zorn twirled his whip in large swaths, catching many of them off-guard when the stinging metal struck them. Unfortunately for the Sheikah, several soldiers stood on the other end of the room, spears in hand. Even as he knocked Nibara and the other guards to the ground, these Gerudos tossed their spears into the air with expert precision.

Noting the attack, Nibara quickly pressed her foot against Zorn's chest, knocking him into the wall. Simultaneously, the long spears embedded themselves in Zorn's clothes and the wall, suspending the Sheikah onto the wall. He raised his whip and attempted another strike, only to have Nibara slash his hand with both weapons precisely on the same spot. He cried out and subsequently dropped his deadly weapon. A horrible red X had been etched on the very spot that the weapons struck his wrist.

"So," he began once he realized there was no more he could do, "I appear to be quite defenseless at the moment. What is it that you wish to do with me, Queen Nibara?"

"Simple," replied Nibara, swords already against her foe's neck. "Exactly what you did to our people so long ago… in a certain place called Arbiter's Grounds." Gasps filled the room at the mention of the horrid place. At last, Nibara spoken of the haunted place where the dark side of the war had taken place. The place where her people had been tortured by the brutal Sheikah for information. No, Nibara knew it was not simply the Sheikah's manipulation of information on Ganondorf that had wronged the Gerudo nation, as did all Gerudo. This horrible truth—taboo to the Gerudo nation—Nibara kept fresh in her mind as she pressed her blades ever harder against Zorn's neck.

"What?" For the first time in their meeting, confusion flickered across Zorn's face. "My people had no hand in the creation of Arbiter's Grounds!" he objected.

"Lies yet again, Ambassador," muttered Nibara, practically spitting the words out. Bending low to the ground, she carefully picked up the whip, avoiding the jagged points. Zorn gasped in realization as the queen raised the whip high into the air.

And on that day, tortured screams echoed down into the city.


End file.
